China Expels 9 Military Officials, including 4 Army Generals

(CTN News) – In a comprehensive reorganization after the nomination of a new defence minister, China has removed nine military officials from their positions in the country’s parliament. Among those who were removed were four generals who served in the strategic missile unit of the army.

Xinhua, the state-run news agency, made the announcement late on Friday night. The decision was made during a meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, which represents the ruling party. Regarding the removal of the officials, there was no explanation provided.

China’s Military Overhaul and the Sudden Dismissal of Defence Minister”

In the months that followed the sudden dismissal of defense minister Li Shangfu in October, followed by months of speculation about his whereabouts, their expulsion was one of a series of high-level restructuring movements that took place within the military system.

Despite being appointed in March, Li vanished from public view in August, and then in October, he was formally fired. Dong Jun was nominated as the new defence minister by Beijing on Friday, putting an end to a vacancy in the critical office that had been going on for several months.

Recently, there has been a change in the leadership of China’s secretive Rocket Force, which is the army unit that is responsible for overseeing Beijing’s nuclear weapons. This change came about due to media revelations regarding a corruption investigation involving the previous head of the Rocket Force.

The nine officials who were terminated from their positions at the National People’s Congress on Friday were sitting in parliament as representatives who were not elected.

SinoInsider, a company located in the United States that specializes in Chinese politics, was quoted as saying that their expulsion “confirms some of the rumors that have been circulating on the topic and suggests that those officers are being investigated.”