Xi Jinping's close associates were dismissed for corruption, with General He Weidong and Admiral Miao expelled.

News Topical, Digital Desk : Two top Chinese military officials have been expelled from the ruling Communist Party and the military on corruption charges, the Defence Ministry said on Friday. They are the most senior officials to be expelled under the anti-corruption drive that began in 2023.

The expelled officers include China's second-ranking general, He Weidong, and Navy Admiral Miao. He Weidong's removal is the first removal of a serving general from the Central Military Commission since the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution. He has not been seen in public since March. No information has been previously released regarding the ongoing investigation against him.

Military officers committed serious violations of party discipline

Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said He, Miao, and the seven other senior military officers named had committed serious violations of party discipline. Their crimes were of a grave nature, with potential for extremely harmful consequences. He called it an important achievement in the party and military's anti-corruption campaign.

The third most powerful commander of the PLA

The 68-year-old's removal isn't limited to the military, as he was also a member of the 24-member Politburo, the ruling Communist Party's second-highest authority. He is one of the commission's two vice chairmen and considered the People's Liberation Army's third-most powerful commander.

He has been considered a close ally of President Xi Jinping. The announcement comes just days before the fourth plenum of the Communist Party's Central Committee, a special body of more than 200 senior officials.

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