China sentences two former defense ministers to death

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press
BEIJING, CHINA — China has sentenced two former defense ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, to suspended death penalties over bribery charges, in one of the most significant corruption cases to hit the country’s military leadership in recent years.

According to DW Turkish, both men were tried by a military court and received death sentences with a two-year reprieve. If they do not commit another crime or receive an additional conviction during that period, their sentences may be commuted to life imprisonment.

Two former ministers convicted

Wei Fenghe, who served as China’s defense minister from 2018 to 2023, was convicted of accepting bribes. Li Shangfu, who succeeded Wei in 2023, was convicted of both accepting and offering bribes.

The ruling also stripped both former ministers of their political rights and ordered the confiscation of their assets.

The verdict marks a dramatic fall for two men who once held some of the most senior positions in China’s military and defense establishment.

Suspended death penalty explained

In China, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve is among the harshest penalties available under the legal system.

Although it is formally a death sentence, the punishment is often commuted to life imprisonment if the convicted person does not commit another crime during the two-year period.

Such sentences are frequently used in major corruption, economic crime and political cases. The ruling therefore sends a strong message not only to the individuals involved, but also to the wider military and bureaucratic elite.

Role in China’s military leadership

Both Wei and Li were members of the Central Military Commission, the most powerful military body in China. The commission is chaired by President Xi Jinping and oversees the People’s Liberation Army.

Wei held the defense minister post for five years before handing the role to Li in 2023. Li’s time in office, however, was extremely brief. He served for only a short period before being removed from the position in October 2023.

Both men were later expelled from the Chinese Communist Party in 2024, a move that indicated the seriousness of the allegations against them before the latest verdicts were announced.

Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign after coming to power in 2012. The campaign has targeted officials across the Communist Party, state bureaucracy, security services, state-owned companies and the military.

Beijing presents the campaign as an effort to clean up corruption, restore discipline and strengthen governance. However, analysts often argue that it also serves to consolidate Xi’s authority and remove potential rivals or unreliable power centers.

The military has been one of the most sensitive areas of this campaign. Over the past decade, a number of senior commanders, generals and defense officials have been investigated, removed or punished.

Pressure on the military elite

The convictions of Wei and Li suggest that scrutiny over China’s military leadership remains intense.

The People’s Liberation Army is central to Beijing’s strategic ambitions, including its position on Taiwan, its activity in the South China Sea and its broader competition with the United States.

For Xi, maintaining political loyalty within the military is as important as technical modernization. The punishment of former defense ministers shows that even the highest-ranking military figures are not beyond the reach of party discipline and judicial action.

Central Military Commission narrows

The case also draws attention to changes inside the Central Military Commission.

The commission previously had a broader membership structure, but its composition has become more restricted in recent years. Analysts see this as part of Xi’s broader effort to centralize control over defense and security decision-making.

China’s current defense minister, Dong Jun, has held the post since 2023. However, unlike previous defense ministers, Dong has not been appointed to the Central Military Commission.

That departure from past practice has raised questions about the changing balance of power inside China’s military system and the extent to which Xi is reshaping traditional command structures.

A warning to senior officials

The suspended death sentences for Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu are likely to be interpreted as a warning to other senior officials.

The cases demonstrate that status, rank and previous loyalty do not guarantee protection if a figure is later deemed politically or legally vulnerable.

The confiscation of assets and removal of political rights also show that Beijing’s corruption cases often carry consequences beyond imprisonment. They can erase political careers, dismantle patronage networks and redistribute influence within the system.

Broader political implications

The verdicts come at a time when China faces major strategic and economic challenges.

Beijing is seeking to modernize its armed forces, maintain internal discipline, manage tensions with Washington and project strength abroad. In that context, corruption allegations inside the defense establishment carry particular significance.

A military leadership seen as corrupt or politically unreliable could undermine Xi’s broader goals. The severity of the sentences suggests that the Chinese leadership wants to project control, discipline and zero tolerance toward misconduct in sensitive institutions.

Further military reshuffles possible

The latest verdicts may not be the end of China’s military anti-corruption drive.

Observers will closely watch whether additional senior figures in the defense sector, weapons procurement system or Central Military Commission-linked institutions face investigation.

The cases of Wei and Li show that China’s military purge remains active and that the leadership is prepared to impose severe punishments on former top officials.

For now, the sentences stand as one of the most striking examples of Xi Jinping’s continuing effort to tighten control over the military and reinforce loyalty within China’s ruling system.

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