Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 7
Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu receive suspended death sentences for bribery
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 7

Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu receive suspended death sentences for bribery

14 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 7
  • A Chinese military court said the former defence ministers will have the sentences commuted to life after two years, with no parole or sentence reduction, and all personal assets confiscated.
  • Wei served from 2018 to 2023, while Li was dismissed in October 2023 after disappearing from public view two months earlier, fuelling speculation over his removal.
  • The rulings come amid Xi Jinping's sweeping military anti-corruption purge, which has ousted several senior figures and, critics say, also serves to remove political rivals.
With its leadership purged, is China’s military a hollow force or a more disciplined one ready for war?
Has Xi Jinping’s crackdown on military corruption inadvertently crippled his own invasion plans for Taiwan?