China has sentenced former defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu to death with a two-year reprieve on bribery charges, according to a verified breaking news post from @GlobeEyeNews on X. The court also ordered all assets confiscated and revoked their political rights for life.
The X post included official portraits of both men in People’s Liberation Army uniform, underscoring their once high-ranking status. Wei served as defense minister from 2018 to March 2023 and previously commanded the PLA Rocket Force, which oversees China’s conventional and nuclear missiles. Li Shangfu succeeded Wei in March 2023 but was removed from public view after only seven months, amid a sweeping probe into military procurement.
Both generals were expelled from the Communist Party in 2024 after internal investigations concluded they had “seriously violated political discipline” and accepted large bribes. The expulsions stripped them of legal protections afforded to senior officials and cleared the way for criminal prosecution.
Under Chinese law, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve is commonly handed down in major corruption cases. If the convict commits no further offenses during the reprieve period, the sentence is typically commuted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The confiscation of assets and lifetime loss of political rights are standard additional penalties in such cases.
The sentences mark one of the most high-profile outcomes of President Xi Jinping’s decade-long anti-corruption campaign, which has intensified within the military since 2023. Dozens of senior PLA officers and defense industry executives have been investigated or removed, many linked to irregularities in equipment procurement and the Rocket Force. Analysts say the campaign serves two purposes: rooting out graft that could undermine military readiness, and consolidating political loyalty as China pursues rapid military modernization.
Li’s tenure as head of the PLA’s Equipment Development Department before becoming minister placed him at the center of weapons purchasing. Wei’s leadership of the Rocket Force coincided with major expansion of China’s missile arsenal. Their falls signal that no level of the military hierarchy is exempt from scrutiny.
The three minors mentioned in the previous article are unrelated to this case. In this matter, all suspects are former senior officials. With the two former ministers now sentenced, the Party’s Central Military Commission has reinforced its message that corruption in defense ranks will be met with the harshest penalties….See More
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