Fall of Xi’s Handpicked Generals Reveals Rising Turmoil Inside China’s Armed Forces, Insider Says

The rare punishment highlights mounting distrust within China’s military as Xi tightens control before key challenges.

China's State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe speaks at a plenary session during the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, on June 12, 2022. Caroline Chia/Reuters

Two former Chinese defense ministers, once elevated by Chinese leader Xi Jinping personally, have been handed suspended death sentences in one of the harshest military corruption cases in recent years, underscoring growing turmoil inside the upper ranks of China’s armed forces.

Former Defense Ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe were both sentenced by a military court martial on May 7 to death with a two-year reprieve. Under Chinese law, the sentences will be commuted to life imprisonment after two years, with no possibility of parole or sentence reduction.