Death Sentences to Former Chinese Defence Ministers: Xi Jinping Cracks Down on PLA Corruption |
Under Chinese law, the ‘Suspension of Death Sentence or Death with Reprieve’ is a unique system for the application of the death penalty. It generally applies to criminals who merit the death penalty but whose execution is not deemed immediately necessary. Such individuals are sentenced to death, but with a simultaneous declaration that the execution is suspended for a period of two years.[iv] Usually, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve may be commuted to life imprisonment if the convicted person does not commit an intentional crime during the reprieve period. In practice, suspended death sentences are rarely carried out. Therefore, it is believed that both the defence ministers, upon the expiration of the two-year reprieve, will have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment without parole.
Wei Fenghe, currently 72, joined the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in 1970 at age 16. He has largely served in the PLA Second Artillery and PLA Rocket Force.[v] His successor and close confidant, Li Shangfu, is currently 68 years old, having spent most of his career serving at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre before being transferred to the CMC.[vi] Li Shangfu succeeded Wei Fenghe as the 13th Minister of National Defence in March 2023. Only a few months after his appointment, Li Shangfu was investigated for charges of corruption in August 2023, and, in the process, his predecessor, Wei Fenghe, was also investigated. Both were found guilty of corruption, and in June 2024, they were expelled from the Party and the PLA and referred to military procuratorial organs for examination and prosecution. [vii]
Corruption had been a deeply rooted structural issue in the Chinese system, including in its military.[viii] In the Chinese system, corruption encompasses both economic corruption (embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, and bribery) and disciplinary corruption (violations of social norms and dereliction of duty) that harm the public interest.[ix] In China, guanxi (social network) is a major channel of corruption, particularly in the military. Guanxi is an informal channel based on personal relationships among individuals, which creates obligations that lead to a continual exchange of favours.[x]
The guanxi network plays an important role in Chinese military corruption in various forms, such as the buying and selling of official posts and rent-seeking. Luo Yuan (罗援), a retired PLA Major General, observed that “it is demoralising for active troops to see some people obtain abnormal promotions because of their links to senior........