Ex-Defense Minister Li Shangfu Expelled for Corruption in China

China's Communist Party expelled former Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu for alleged corruption. The move was announced following an investigation revealing violations of party discipline. Li, a top PLA official, was accused of taking bribes and misusing his position. He is the latest in a series of high-ranking officers penalized under President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption drive.

China’s ruling Communist Party, led by President Xi Jinping, has expelled former Defence Minister Gen. Li Shangfu on Thursday over allegations of corruption.

The decision, reported by state-run Xinhua news agency, follows an investigation which found Li, 66, guilty of serious violations of Party discipline and the law. Li, who previously led the People's Liberation Army’s Rocket Force, was handpicked by Xi for the top defense post but went missing last year amid corruption speculation.

Li, a former State Councillor and member of the Central Military Commission, was stripped of his delegate status at the 20th CPC National Congress, according to the CPC Central Committee's Political Bureau meeting.

Since Xi assumed power in 2012, dozens of PLA Generals have been sacked or punished for corruption, including Li. The CMC's disciplinary agency launched an investigation on August 31, 2023, which revealed Li's improper conduct involving personnel arrangements, bribe-taking, and misuse of his position.

Li is now under prosecution for the suspected crimes of accepting and offering bribes, among other violations.