China's military corruption crackdown explained

Miao joins a host of high-ranking figures, including two former defense ministers, to fall foul of a sweeping crackdown in China’s military in just over a year.

Analysts say corruption may have eroded Chinese combat readiness, raising fears in Beijing as it conducts its largest military buildup in decades.

Here’s how the crackdown has unfolded so far:

'Chronic Distrust'

Chinese President Xi Jinping has waged a sweeping campaign against deep-seated official corruption since coming to power over a decade ago.

Chinese President Xi Jinping. AFP

Proponents say the policy promotes clean governance, while critics say it helps Xi purge political rivals.

In the past year, the drive has focused on the armed forces, with nearly 20 military and defense industry officials removed since summer 2023.

Some of the biggest figures so far ensnared have been defense ministers.

State media has confirmed that both Wei Fenghe and his successor Li Shangfu have been expelled from the ruling Communist Party and are under corruption investigations.

"Xi appears to be chronically distrustful of his most prominent military officials," Ankit Panda, Stanton Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told AFP.

Analysts at the time linked the purge to a wider investigation into the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Rocket Force, which oversees China’s nuclear and conventional missiles and would likely be Beijing’s first line of attack in the event of a major conflict.

Both former defense ministers had ties to the force — Wei previously headed the unit, and Li Shangfu led a department that developed weapons, including missiles.

The unit’s chief, Li Yuchao, and chief of staff, Sun Jinming, were expelled from the party and investigated for corruption in July.

Three senior officials were also removed from their posts at state-owned missile defense organizations in December 2023.

Beyond the Rocket Force

British newspaper The Financial Times this week reported that defense minister Dong Jun was under investigation — reports that Beijing on Thursday dismissed as “pure fabrications.”

But Miao and Dong’s removal, if confirmed, could suggest the graft purge is widening.

China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun inspects honour guards as part of the third Singapore-China Defence Minister's Dialogue at the Ministry of Defence in Singapore.Reuters

Miao had no clear ties to the Rocket Force, rising through the army ranks before being promoted to admiral in the navy in 2015.

Similarly, the defense minister — appointed in December — forged his career in the navy and eventually became its commander.

Reports of Dong’s fall suggested “the rot in China’s military remains even deeper than previously suspected,” Neil Thomas, a fellow on Chinese politics at the Asia Society, told AFP.

The crackdown has come as China has increased military pressure on Taiwan and repeatedly pushed up against its neighbors over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

But analysts say graft in the military may be raising concerns that the army isn’t up to the job.

“Corruption in the Chinese military rightly should raise questions about its ability to achieve military objectives and reach the ‘great rejuvenation’ envisioned by Xi,” Heather Williams, director of the Project on Nuclear Issues at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote.

Compromised

Bloomberg, citing U.S. intelligence, reported this year that rampant corruption in the Rocket Force had led to malfunctioning equipment and even missile fuel being replaced with water.

“If true, these flaws would compromise missile operations, calling into question China’s nuclear force readiness and overall capabilities,” the Federation of American Scientists wrote in an open letter in response to the claims.

Xi has vowed that the reunification of the Chinese mainland and Taiwan is inevitable and pledged to take “all measures necessary” to achieve that goal.

The recent crackdown “raises the question of who Xi has left that he can trust and how deep the scandals run that have taken down these key officials,” said Joel Wuthnow, senior research fellow at National Defense University in the U.S.

“It has to be a huge distraction... as he presses the PLA to be ready for a war with Taiwan by 2027.”

This month, Xi visited members of the country’s air force in central Hubei province, urging them to root out corruption and “unhealthy tendencies.”

“(We) must keep firmly in mind our duties and missions, increase our sense of war preparedness and tighten our preparations for military struggles,” Xi told soldiers.

But with Miao’s removal, analysts expect the corruption crackdown to continue to distract from that goal.

“Competition for top positions is so fierce that there might be some mutual recriminations between officers, which would lead to endless cycles of arrests, new appointments and recriminations,” Victor Shih, an expert on elite Chinese politics, told AFP.