China’s military reshuffle: Beijing expels 9 army officials including 4 generals from parliament

China has undertaken a significant reshuffle in its military parliament, expelling nine officials including four generals from the army’s strategic missile unit, following the appointment of a new defence minister.

The changes include the removal of five individuals from the secretive Rocket Force, with former commander Li Yuchao implicated in a corruption investigation.

This restructuring is part of a series of high-level moves in the military since the abrupt dismissal of Defence Minister Li Shangfu in October. The People’s Liberation Army has not disclosed specific reasons for the removals, marking the first time branches like the Air Force and Navy have been implicated in recent personnel changes.

Appointed in March, Li disappeared from public view in August before being formally dismissed in October. On Friday Beijing appointed Dong Jun as the new defence minister, ending a months-long vacancy in the strategic post.

Recent months have also seen an overhaul in the leadership of China’s secretive Rocket Force, the army unit that oversees Beijing’s nuclear arsenal, following media reports of a corruption probe involving its former chief.

The nine officials fired on Friday from the National People’s Congress sat in parliament as non-elected representatives. Their dismissal “suggests that those officers are being probed and confirms some of the rumours circulating on the topic” says US-based SinoInsider, a firm specialising in Chinese politics.

With inputs from AFP.