He Weidong (何衛東), a People’s Liberation Army general and one of the most senior figures in the Chinese military, is reportedly under investigation for corruption.
He was “elected” as a member of the Central Military Commission in 2022, and was immediately elevated to one of its vice chairs, below Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平). At the same time, he became a member of the Politburo. Prior to this, He served as commander of the Eastern Theater Command, the joint command structure of the PLA responsible for operations around Taiwan.
This means that at the time of writing, not only is He the third-ranking military figure in China — and the second-ranking excluding Xi, who is not a professional soldier — he also came to that role fresh from leading the troops that would be primarily responsible for attacking Taiwan. This should put reports of He’s downfall into perspective, especially because of where his transgressions might have taken place and what they could have impacted on.
Rumors that He was in trouble first started to spread in mid March based on reports from anti-Chinese Communist Party social media accounts. But three things have happened since that have elevated this into something more concrete.
First, the Chinese defense ministry on March 27 was asked in response to these rumors if He was in trouble. Spokesperson Wu Qian (吳謙) replied that he was unaware of these reports and that he had no information to offer.
It’s not conclusive that Wu didn’t deny the reports, but it is suggestive. Specifically, it suggests that Wu is aware that there is political trouble around He that is either unresolved or that is resolved but he is not authorized to confirm.
Contrast this with the response to questions about Defense Minister Dong Jun (董軍) last autumn, when there were persistent rumors about him, too. At that time, spokesperson Mao Ning (毛寧) said the media were “chasing shadows.” An even clearer denial followed later when it was confirmed that in fact Admiral Miao Hua (苗華) was under investigation.
Second, He was absent from two public events he should have attended in early April. The first was a tree-planting ceremony on April 4. The second event was a work conference on April 8 and 9. Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠), the only military officer who outranks He, attended both events. Notably, these absences followed the public airing of the rumors, rather than preceding them.
Third, the Financial Times ran a story on April 10 reporting that anonymous U.S. officials have confirmed that He had been “purged.” This is the first independent sourced information we have that He is really in trouble, although it was the same Financial Times reporter who reported U.S. officials saying Dong Jun was under investigation last year. That report was denied by China’s defense ministry, and Dong remains as the defense minister.
Until there is official confirmation that He is under investigation, there will remain an element of doubt about this. But because He is a Central Military Commission member, if he is purged it won’t be quiet. He would most likely be suspended like Admiral Miao Hua or removed like former defense minister Li Shangfu (李尚福).
Leave a Reply