Suspicions fall on one of the country’s highest military officials, General He Weidong
China’s Ministry of Defense announced this Friday that corruption investigations have been launched against one of the country’s highest military officials, General He Weidong, as well as eight other military officers.
The general has not been seen in public for several months and has now been removed from office and expelled from the Chinese Communist Party, according to the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post.
The investigations emerged following an anti-corruption campaign launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which has already resulted in the dismissal of many military personnel and civilians.
“The Discipline, Inspection and Supervision Commission of the CMC has launched successive investigations against nine people,” Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, said in a statement, citing He Weidong as the first person to be investigated.
General He Weidong was previously vice-president of the Central Military Commission (CMC).
Weidong was absent from the large military parade held in Beijing on September 3 to celebrate the victory over Japan and the end of the Second World War.
The position of vice chairman of the CMC made He Weidong the third most senior military officer, the first being the head of state, Xi Jinping.
