Chinese authorities have removed three retired senior military figures from the country’s leading political advisory institution, days before thousands of delegates are due to convene in Beijing for the annual parliamentary gatherings known as the Two Sessions.
State media reported on Monday that the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) voted to expel Han Weiguo, Gao Jin and Liu Lei from its ranks. No formal justification was offered for the decision, though the move comes amid an intensifying wave of disciplinary actions targeting high-ranking officers within the armed forces.
The dismissals coincide with preparations for the simultaneous meetings of the CPPCC and the National People’s Congress, which together draw around 3,000 delegates to the capital each year. While the CPPCC holds no legislative authority, it functions as a consultative forum alongside the National People’s Congress, often described as a rubber-stamp legislature.
Both bodies are set to open their sessions this week, with proceedings expected to last around seven days.
Membership of the CPPCC and the National People’s Congress normally runs for fixed five-year terms, and the current cycle is not due to conclude until March 2028. The mid-term removal of senior figures is therefore regarded as uncommon.
Han Weiguo, aged 70, previously served as commander of the People’s Liberation Army ground forces from August 2017 until his retirement in June 2021. Liu Lei, also 70, held the post of political commissar of the army between December 2015 and January 2022, overlapping with Han’s tenure.
Gao Jin, 67, became the first commander of the Strategic Support Force upon its establishment in 2015, before later heading the Central Military Commission’s Logistic Support Department until retiring in early 2022. The Strategic Support Force has since been dissolved as part of military restructuring.
The reshuffle of retired officers follows a series of prominent removals in recent months. Last Thursday, authorities confirmed the dismissal of 19 officials, including nine members of the armed forces. In January, two of the country’s most senior serving generals were also removed. According to the defence ministry, Zhang Youxia and his associate Liu Zhenli are under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law”.
Since assuming power in 2012, President Xi Jinping has repeatedly launched anti-corruption drives across the party, state and military apparatus.
Beyond the three retired generals, other members of the advisory body were dismissed on Monday, among them Zhang Kejian, a senior figure in the defence sector who is currently facing a corruption probe.
