China removes three retired generals from CPPCC ahead of Two Sessions

The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference voted to remove three retired military generals from its membership on Monday, state media reported, stripping Han Weiguo, Gao Jin and Liu Lei of advisory roles just days before the annual Two Sessions bring some 3,000 delegates to Beijing.

Xinhua reported the action as a decision of the CPPCC Standing Committee. Authorities gave no explanation for the ousters. The vote also removed two other members and followed earlier committee actions that officially ousted 10 additional CPPCC members, part of a string of recent personnel removals across the legislature and advisory body.

Han Weiguo, 70, served as commander of the People's Liberation Army ground forces from August 2017 until his retirement in June 2021. Liu Lei, also 70, was political commissar of the army from December 2015 to January 2022, an overlap with Han's term. Gao Jin, 67, was the inaugural commander of the Strategic Support Force when it was formed in 2015 and most recently led the Central Military Commission's Logistic Support Department until his retirement in January 2022.

The mid-term removals are notable because CPPCC delegates normally serve five-year terms that run until March 2028. While members can theoretically appeal such rulings, observers note those decisions are usually final. The timing, on the eve of China’s largest annual political gathering, underscores the scale of moves within the party and military leadership ahead of high-profile policy meetings.

The three removals come amid an intensified anti-corruption campaign that in recent weeks has reached deep into the military and other senior ranks. Last Thursday authorities announced the sacking of 19 officials from the National People’s Congress, nine of them military personnel. In January, China removed its highest-ranking general Zhang Youxia and his ally Liu Zhenli; the defence ministry said both were under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law.”

Other senior figures have also lost positions or been placed under probe in recent days. Zhang Kejian, a senior defence-industry official, was removed from the CPPCC and reported to be under investigation for corruption. Wang Xiangxi was removed as minister of emergency management after an anti-corruption watchdog probe, and Liu Shaoyun was removed as head of the PLA military court.

Outside experts say the purge has left significant vacancies at the top of the PLA. Experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies called the detention of Zhang Youxia “the capstone arrest of the greatest series of purges in the history of China's PLA,” and warned that with only one general remaining on the Central Military Commission, it “would be incredibly difficult for China to launch large military campaigns against Taiwan” in the near term.

Critics say President Xi Jinping has long used anti-corruption campaigns to sideline rivals even as Beijing publicly frames the moves as discipline for graft. Xi last month publicly hailed the military's “fight against corruption,” a rare acknowledgment of the problem.

The CPPCC vote leaves unanswered whether the three retired generals face formal investigations or criminal charges beyond the administrative termination of membership. With the Two Sessions convening, the removals sharpen questions about how Beijing will reconstitute military and party leadership during a sensitive political moment.