Former Chinese Defence Ministers Li Shangfu, Wei Fenghe Expelled From Communist Party

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has expelled two former defence ministers.

Former Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu has been expelled from the ruling Communist Party, following his abrupt dismissal last year under unexplained circumstances, as per a report by The Hindu.

Further, another former Chinese defence minister Wei Fenghe, who also formerly served as a member of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and a state councilor, was deprived of his qualification as a delegate to the 20th CPC National Congress, according to a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

"The Politburo... has decided to expel Li Shangfu from the party, terminate his credentials as a representative of the 20th National Congress, and transfer his suspected criminal issues to military procuratorial organs for review and prosecution," stated state broadcaster CCTV.

The Politburo concluded that Li had "betrayed his original mission and lost his party spirit and principles," according to CCTV.

He "seriously polluted the political environment and industrial ethos in the field of military equipment, and caused great damage to the party's cause, national defence, and the construction of the armed forces," CCTV reported.

Li is "suspected of bribery," having been accused of "taking advantage of his position and accepting huge sums of money to seek benefits for others... and giving money to others to seek inappropriate benefits," the report said.

He also "illegally sought personnel benefits for himself and others," it added.

Meanwhile, the CMC's disciplinary and supervisory agency launched an investigation against Wei in September last year.

According to the investigation results, Wei seriously violated political and organisational discipline by helping others gain improper benefits in personnel arrangements. He also seriously violated discipline regarding integrity, accepting money and gifts in violation of relevant rules.

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