China Purges Former Defense Chief After He Vanished From Public Eye For Months

Beijing expelled a former defense chief from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after he went missing for months amid a massive shakeup to root out corruption from the military, Chinese state media reported Thursday.

CCP leadership decided to oust former Defense Minister Li Shangfu and his predecessor Wei Fenghe from the party “for serious violation of party discipline and law,” Chinese state media reported. Li mysteriously disappeared from the public eye in August after last being seen at a security conference in Beijing, and it was announced by Chinese-state media months later that he had been removed from his post, according to the Associated Press.

“As a high-ranking official of the Party and the military, Li betrayed the Party’s original aspiration and its principles,” state media outlet Xinhua reported, claiming that Li had leveraged his position for personal benefits and accepted bribes. “His disciplinary and law violations brought enormous damage to the Party’s cause.”

Wei was stripped of his party title for similar allegations, including that he “seriously violated discipline regarding integrity” by accepting bribes in exchange for violating party rules, according to Xinhua.

Li is among others who have recently vanished