A Chinese court has found two former high-ranking officials, who served as Defense Ministers under President Xi Jinping's administration, guilty of corruption, while following the conviction, both former ministers have been sentenced to death. The officials identified in the ruling are Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu. According to a report by the Xinhua news agency, investigations into corruption allegations against both individuals were initiated in 2024. After a two-year trial process, the court delivered the death penalty.
Tenure and Removal of Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu
Wei Fenghe served as China's Defense Minister from 2018 to 2023. Following his tenure, the command of the Defense Ministry was handed over to Li Shangfu, while however, Shangfu was later hit with corruption allegations, which led to his removal from the prestigious post. Both former ministers were once considered close confidants of President Xi Jinping and had served as members of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Specific Allegations and Investigation Findings
According to the South China Morning Post, Wei Fenghe was an official in the Rocket Science Department before taking charge of the Defense Ministry. In 2023, he was abruptly removed from his ministerial position, after which the Chinese government launched a corruption probe against him. The investigation revealed that Fenghe accepted commissions and expensive gifts from contractors. He was also accused of accumulating vast amounts of wealth. Similarly, Li Shangfu was accused of practicing irregularities in the contracting and procurement processes during his service.
China's Strict Anti-Corruption Stance and Statistics
President Xi Jinping issued a stern warning regarding corruption during a Communist Party of China meeting earlier this year. Between 2022 and 2025, three individuals have been sentenced to death in China on charges of bribery. Also, the government is continuously sentencing military and administrative officials to curb corruption within the system. The crackdown reflects the administration's rigid policy against financial misconduct at the highest levels of government.
Since assuming the presidency, Xi Jinping launched a massive anti-corruption campaign in 2012. According to the Chinese government, more than 1 million employees have lost their jobs since the inception of this campaign. In the last three years alone, 15,000 former officials have been sentenced in corruption cases, including 100 senior officials from the military and the government, as the state continues its rigorous enforcement of administrative discipline.