{"id":82917,"date":"2024-06-28T00:32:16","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T00:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/28\/china-levels-graft-charges-against-former-defense-ministers\/"},"modified":"2024-06-28T00:32:16","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T00:32:16","slug":"china-levels-graft-charges-against-former-defense-ministers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/28\/china-levels-graft-charges-against-former-defense-ministers\/","title":{"rendered":"China Levels Graft Charges Against Former Defense Ministers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/06\/27\/multimedia\/27china-military-01-wbkt\/27china-military-01-wbkt-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"China Levels Graft Charges Against Former Defense Ministers\" title=\"China Levels Graft Charges Against Former Defense Ministers\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">China\u2019s leadership accused two former defense ministers on Thursday of taking \u201chuge\u201d bribes and of other acts of corruption that compromised military promotions and the nation\u2019s weapons production complex.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Two announcements from the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s Politburo, a council of 24 top officials, laid out multiple accusations of crime and insubordination against Gen. <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chinanews.com.cn\/gn\/2024\/06-27\/10241738.shtml\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Li Shangfu<\/a>, the defense minister for much of last year, and Gen. <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chinanews.com.cn\/gn\/2024\/06-27\/10241742.shtml\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Wei Fenghe<\/a>, the minister from 2018 to 2023. The statements suggested that more heads could roll in expanding investigations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Speculation has built since last year that China\u2019s leader, Xi Jinping, had begun inquiries into military corruption and misconduct, after senior officers from the People\u2019s Liberation Army\u2019s Rocket Force were <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/08\/07\/world\/asia\/china-nuclear-military-xi.html\" title=\"\">abruptly replaced<\/a> or had disappeared. General Li\u2019s <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/10\/24\/world\/asia\/china-defense-minister-ousted.html\" title=\"\">removal as defense minister in October<\/a>, after he had vanished from public view for months, added weight to the rumors. But only now has China\u2019s leadership revealed the range of allegations involved in the investigations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/english.news.cn\/20240627\/ed54cc4029c44a8e9a163d47fb8c77cd\/c.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">announcement about General Li<\/a> said he was found to have taken bribes in return for abusing his powers, including through corrupt personnel decisions, and that he had bribed others and tried to obstruct the investigation into him. The <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/english.news.cn\/20240627\/86b7cc05900344aca1bbaa654bec6ca2\/c.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">announcement about General Wei<\/a> made similar accusations, and said that he had been plied with valuables and money.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Both men were stripped of their military ranks and expelled from the Communist Party, and their cases were sent to military prosecutors, meaning, almost inevitably, that both will be put on trial, found guilty and given heavy sentences, even death sentences, if their crimes are judged to be especially severe. The statements also suggested that their misdeeds amounted to a betrayal of Mr. Xi, who is chairman of the Central Military Commission as well as party leader.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Both generals had been members of the commission. General Li \u201cbetrayed the party\u2019s founding aspirations and party principles, and his actions betrayed the trust of the party\u2019s Central Committee and the Central Military Commission,\u201d the party said. General Wei was further accused of a \u201ccollapse in faith\u201d in the party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The announcements may prompt wider investigations that could, at least temporarily, slow the clip of China\u2019s rapid military modernization drive. The announcements said investigators were following more leads, and General Li\u2019s corruption had \u201cseverely polluted\u201d the military equipment sector and firms. Before his appointment as defense minister, he had risen as a specialist in military equipment, a sector that has enjoyed decades of expanding spending.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe announcements seem to point to something very serious,\u201d Andrew N.D. Yang, an expert on the Chinese military who formerly served in Taiwan\u2019s ministry of defense, said in a telephone interview.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Yang said the generals\u2019 apparent resistance to investigators and assertions that they lost faith in the party would be especially disturbing to Mr. Xi, because the details could point to wider unhappiness or insubordination in the People\u2019s Liberation Army\u2019s senior ranks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI think we can expect comprehensive investigations into the military, not only in the Rocket Force, but also in other sectors,\u201d Mr. Yang said, referring to China\u2019s military forces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Xi underscored his determination to root out misconduct and perceived disloyalty in the Chinese military earlier this month, when he met with commanders in Yan\u2019an, an officially hallowed area of northwest China where Mao Zedong gathered forces during the revolution and war against Japan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Xi had held a similar \u201cpolitical work\u201d conference for the military in 2014, when he was rooting out corruption that had taken hold over previous decades, including the buying and selling of promotions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But apparently, the problems persist, and on his latest trip Mr. Xi summoned the spirit of Mao\u2019s army as inspiration and warning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cSenior officers across the whole military must keep in mind the founding aspirations and lead the way in advancing the Yan\u2019an spirit,\u201d Mr. Xi said, according to the official <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"http:\/\/cpc.people.com.cn\/n1\/2024\/0620\/c64094-40260354.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">summary of the three-day meeting<\/a>. \u201cMake sure that the people\u2019s military always retains its true nature and mission, and always dares to fight and win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The armed forces are crucial to Mr. Xi\u2019s political power and his vision of China as a resurgent global power.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At home, the People\u2019s Liberation Army is a pillar of Communist Party dominance, sworn to absolute loyalty to Mr. Xi. Externally, the military is key to Mr. Xi\u2019s efforts to project influence and diminish American dominance across the Asia-Pacific. It is also crucial to China\u2019s efforts to absorb Taiwan \u2014 the island democracy about 100 miles off the mainland coast that Beijing claims as its territory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But the downfall of the two former defense ministers indicated that Mr. Xi\u2019s ability to pick and promote the right commanders may be questioned inside the People\u2019s Liberation Army, said Mr. Yang, the Taiwanese military expert.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">An engineer, General Li, 66, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"http:\/\/cpc.people.com.cn\/BIG5\/n1\/2023\/0313\/c64036-32643138.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">rose through the ranks<\/a> in rocketry, weapons development and China\u2019s manned space program. He was the first deputy commander of the Strategic Support Force, which Mr. Xi created in late 2015 as part of a reorganization of the Chinese military. In April, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"http:\/\/eng.chinamil.com.cn\/CHINA_209163\/TopStories_209189\/16302105.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Mr. Xi broke up the force<\/a> into three separate units.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">General Wei, 70, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"http:\/\/www.xinhuanet.com\/politics\/2018lh\/2018-03\/19\/c_1122560874.htm\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">was the first commander<\/a> of the Rocket Force, the custodian of most of China\u2019s nuclear weapons as well as of thousands of conventional missiles. Mr. Xi founded the Rocket Force in late 2015, upgrading the former missile arm called the Second Artillery Corps.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThey were both promoted by him, so how can he say that he\u2019s picking the right people in the right positions?\u201d Mr. Yang said. Still, Mr. Yang said he expected no major disruption to China\u2019s plans to build ever more military ships, aircraft and missiles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe objective for Xi Jinping is to come up with the most effective military,\u201d Mr. Yang said. \u201cThat won\u2019t change.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/27\/world\/asia\/china-military-corruption.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China\u2019s leadership accused two former defense ministers on Thursday of taking \u201chuge\u201d bribes and of other acts of corruption that compromised military promotions and the nation\u2019s weapons production complex. Two announcements from the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s Politburo, a council of 24 top officials, laid out multiple accusations of crime and insubordination against Gen. Li Shangfu, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":82918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/06\/27\/multimedia\/27china-military-01-wbkt\/27china-military-01-wbkt-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5808,168,5663,8469,3867,1397],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82917"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82917"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82919,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82917\/revisions\/82919"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}