China's two former defense ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, have been sentenced to death for corruption, in another blow to China's military elite as part of President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign. The two former officials received death sentences suspended for two years, a formula that in Chinese practice usually converts to life imprisonment without parole, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Investigations into Li Shangfu found that he had taken “large sums of money” in bribes and favored military appointments for personal gain. Meanwhile, Wei Fenghe is accused of receiving money and valuables in exchange for influencing military structures and military appointments.
China's anti-corruption crackdown has hit the Rocket Force, the elite unit that controls the country's nuclear and conventional missile arsenal, particularly hard. The campaign launched by Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012 has steadily expanded to the highest levels of the Chinese military.
Earlier this year, General Zhang Youxia, one of the most powerful figures in the People's Liberation Army and long considered a close ally of Xi Jinping, also left his post. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the ongoing corruption purges are creating serious gaps in the Chinese military command and may have affected the readiness of the country's armed forces.
