China has removed 19 officials — including nine senior military figures — from its list of national lawmakers just days before the country’s most important annual political gathering, state media reported.
The dismissals were announced by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislative body. No official explanation was provided for the move.
Among those removed were Li Qiaoming, commander of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Ground Force, and Shen Jinlong, a former PLA Navy chief. Several other military officers were also dropped, alongside provincial officials including Sun Shaochong, the former Communist Party chief of Inner Mongolia.
The announcement comes weeks after President Xi Jinping removed his top general and close ally, Zhang Youxia, over alleged “serious violations of discipline and law” — a phrase commonly used in China to denote corruption.
The removals are the latest in a string of military purges in recent years. In October 2025, authorities dismissed nine senior generals in what was described as part of an anti-corruption campaign within the armed forces.
Since taking office in 2013, Xi has made anti-corruption efforts a central pillar of his leadership, launching the sweeping “tigers and flies” campaign aimed at rooting out both high-level and lower-ranking officials. He has repeatedly described corruption as the Communist Party’s greatest threat and recently warned that the battle “remains grave and complex.” Critics, however, argue that the campaign has also served to sideline political rivals.
The latest shake-up comes ahead of the annual “Two Sessions” — the concurrent meetings of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference — which will take place in Beijing from March 4 to 11.
Thousands of delegates are expected to attend the gatherings, where the government will outline its five-year development priorities and set key economic targets for the year ahead.
