Desk: China has stepped up its sweeping anti-corruption campaign, removing several senior military and political figures from their positions, according to state media reports.
Authorities voted to remove Liu Shaoyun from his post as head of the People’s Liberation Army’s military court. No official explanation was provided for his dismissal.
In addition, 19 delegates were expelled from the National People’s Congress (NPC). Among them was former Inner Mongolia party secretary Sun Shaocheng, who is under investigation for “suspected serious violations of discipline and law” — a phrase commonly used in China to refer to corruption-related offenses.
Nine military officials were also among those removed, including former Navy commander Shen Jinlong and ground forces commander Li Qiaoming. The specific reasons for their removal were not disclosed.
Earlier this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the military’s “fight against corruption,” in a rare public acknowledgment of graft within the armed forces. His remarks came as Beijing expanded a broad purge by launching investigations into top military leaders.
In January, China’s defense ministry announced probes into Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), and Liu Zhenli, chief of staff of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department, which oversees combat planning.
The anti-corruption drive, launched after Xi came to power more than a decade ago, has targeted officials at all levels of the Communist Party and the state. In recent years, the military has increasingly become a major focus of the campaign.