China’s Military Marred by ‘Wave of Corruption’ Cases, US Says

What’s New

A series of corruption investigations within China’s military continues to worry the country’s leadership, according to a new Pentagon report, and U.S. officials suggest Beijing fears the problem could hamper future large-scale military operations such as a war over Taiwan.

Why It Matters

The “new wave of corruption-related investigations and removals of senior leaders” could frustrate President Xi Jinping’s goal of achieving the People’s Liberation Army’s modernization by 2027, according to the report.

Under Xi, over 4 million of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 99 million members have reportedly been investigated for corruption. Earlier this year, Xi said the party must “turn the knife inward” to maintain discipline within party ranks.

Defense chief Dong Jun’s two immediate predecessors—Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe—and former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, were among the high-profile figures removed from office. Top officials of the PLA Rocket Force, which overseas China’s nuclear arsenal, were also ousted.

What To Know

The U.S. Department of Defense’s annual report on China’s military, released on Wednesday, said corruption cases have touched every branch of the PLA, rattling Beijing’s confidence in its senior military leaders.

“[Chinese] leaders probably view the CCP’s decade-long campaign as a necessary tool to build a professional fighting force as part of the PLA’s 2027 modernization goals,” the report said. The report cited remarks by He Weidong, vice chairman of China’s powerful Central Military Commission, as vowing this year to crack down on “fake combat capabilities,” which may refer to corruption in weapons procurement.

Despite these issues, the report underscored the rapid progress the PLA is making toward Xi’s military modernization goals.

For instance, China’s navy, now the largest in the world, is increasingly able to carry out missions beyond the so-called First Island Chain, a series of archipelagos stretching southward from Japan that Washington views as critical to maintaining U.S. naval power in the Pacific.

China also continues to build out its vast missile fleet and is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal, which the Pentagon estimates exceeded 600 operational warheads earlier this year and is on track to surpass 1,000 by 2030.

What People Are Saying

At an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said on Wednesday the Chinese leaders are genuinely concerned corruption threatens their ability to conduct large-scale military operations, such as a conflict in the East or South China seas or against Taiwan.

“Or otherwise, maybe they wouldn’t be decapitating large elements of the PLA, which is incredibly disruptive from a bureaucratic standpoint,” Ratner said. “So I think the severity of the anti-corruption hunt is reflective of a serious concern that this is having serious problems.”

Michael Chase, a Pentagon official who previously served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, echoed this view.

“In the past, a lot of times we were looking at buying and selling promotions or bribes that came in the form of banquets or expensive bottles of liquor,” Chase said. “And while that may very well still be a problem, what we’re seeing that is really jumping out… is that it’s corruption that’s taking down the leaders of the PLA Rocket Force.”

What Happens Next

Last month, Beijing dismissed reports that current Defense Minister Dong Jun was under investigation but revealed the suspension of Miao Hua pending an investigation. Miao outranks Dong as one of the five members of the Central Military Commission, which Xi leads.

In July 2023, Beijing appointed a PLA Navy deputy commander as the Rocket Force’s new commander and an Air Force officer as its new political commissar. These appointments likely indicate Xi’s ongoing distrust of Rocket Force leaders’ ability to maintain discipline, the Pentagon said, predicting Xi and other commission members would subject both the military’s capabilities and loyalty to further scrutiny going forward.

Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry by email with requests for comment.