Xi appoints new PLA anti-graft chief amid sweeping military corruption crackdown
Chinese President Xi Jinping has appointed Zhang Shuguang as the new head of the Central Military Commission’s (CMC) Discipline Inspection Commission, the People’s Liberation Army’s top anti-corruption body, as Beijing presses ahead with a sweeping purge of senior military officials.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, Zhang was promoted from lieutenant general to full general and also named director of the CMC’s supervision committee, replacing Zhang Shengmin in both roles.
Xi also promoted Wang Gang to the rank of full general and appointed him commander of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Promotions to the rank of full general are personally approved by Xi in his capacity as chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Key appointment amid anti-corruption drive
The CMC’s Discipline Inspection Commission serves as the PLA’s internal anti-corruption watchdog, investigating cases of graft and disciplinary violations within the military. It reports directly to the Central Military Commission, China’s highest military decision-making body headed by Xi.
The leadership change comes as Xi continues an extensive anti-corruption campaign that has reshaped the upper ranks of the Chinese military since the start of his third presidential term in 2023.
Military purge gathers pace
Over the past three years, dozens of senior PLA officers have been investigated or removed from office as part of the campaign.
Among the most prominent figures targeted are former defence ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, both of whom received suspended death sentences under Chinese law. Former CMC vice-chairman He Weidong and several other senior military leaders have also come under investigation.
According to available information, 26 generals have been investigated since 2023, with several disappearing from public view after the probes were launched.
Until this week’s reshuffle, Xi and outgoing anti-graft chief Zhang Shengmin were the only remaining members of the previous Central Military Commission leadership.
Who is Zhang Shuguang?
Zhang Shuguang has been elevated from lieutenant general to full general—the PLA’s highest active military rank, broadly equivalent to a four-star general in many Western armed forces.
While Chinese state media did not provide details of his previous assignments, Zhang will now head both the Discipline Inspection Commission and the CMC’s supervision committee, a body established in 2018 to strengthen oversight of public officials alongside the Communist Party’s disciplinary system.
CCTV did not disclose the reason for Zhang Shengmin’s replacement or specify when Zhang Shuguang and Wang Gang will formally assume their new responsibilities.
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