Lieutenant General You Haitao is one of two senior Chinese military officials announced by the NPC as suspected of “serious violation of laws and discipline”. --Photo: Weibo/清華國防
SHANGHAI: Beijing has stripped two more generals in the People’s Liberation Army of their lawmaker status, as China continues a wider anti-corruption drive into the country’s military.
In a notice on Wednesday, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) confirmed that Lieutenant General You Haitao, former deputy commander of China’s army, and Vice-Admiral Li Pengcheng, former naval commander of the PLA Southern Theatre Command, had been removed from the country’s top legislature.
A separate NPC statement said You and Li were suspected of “serious violation of laws and discipline” – a phrase that usually refers to corruption.
The downfall of the two generals comes amid a slew of personnel changes within the PLA, with several senior officers brought down by corruption charges. Miao Hua, a member of the powerful Central Military Commission and the director of its political work department, was placed under investigation for corruption in November.
You, 66, became the deputy commander of the army in early 2016. Previously he was deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region and was promoted to lieutenant general in 2014.
Li, 61, previously served in roles including the deputy chief of staff of the PLA Navy’s North Sea Fleet, director of the Navy Equipment Research Institute, and chief of staff of the East Sea Fleet.
Li Pengcheng, former naval commander of the PLA Southern Theatre Command, is no longer a member of the NPC. -- Photo: people.com.cn
For the record, supervisory and judicial authorities across China have dealt with 768,000 cases of misconduct and corruption that occurred among the people since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, according to a report submitted on Sunday for review to the ongoing session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.
During this period of time, a total of 628,000 people involved in these cases were punished, with 20,000 people transferred to procuratorial organs, according to the report by the National Commission of Supervision (NCS).
Since the beginning of 2024, the NCS has directly investigated or overseen the investigation and resolution of 2,633 cases, the report stated.
To address the safety of school meals, the NCS has urged relevant departments to conduct an assessment of canteens and meals in primary and secondary schools nationwide.
The NCS guided supervisory and judicial organs at all levels to investigate and address 38,000 cases of embezzlement of students' meal funds, interference in bidding and procurement, and acceptance of kickbacks, in accordance with the law, resulting in the punishment of 23,000 individuals.
To combat corruption in the management of rural collective funds, assets and resources, the NCS has guided supervisory and judicial authorities at all levels to investigate 153,000 cases of embezzlement and illegal disposal of collective assets, resulting in the punishment of 132,000 individuals.
The NCS has launched a one-year special operation to rectify corruption and misconduct in the funeral services sector across the country, starting from November this year, the report noted.
Next year, it will also launch special campaigns focusing on the supervision of fund usage for rural revitalization, management of medical insurance funds, and prominent issues in elderly care services. - SCMP/Xinhua
