A significant wave of disciplinary action has struck the Chinese military, as reports emerge of growing unrest within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). In a major development, President Xi Jinping has dismissed two top-ranking officials — the Chief of Staff of the Chinese Navy and a senior nuclear scientist — triggering alarm among other senior PLA personnel.
This is the latest in a series of removals and disciplinary actions that have been unfolding over several months, as Xi continues to tighten control over China’s armed forces. Several top officials have previously been ousted on charges including corruption, misconduct, and lack of loyalty.
Key officials removed from top positions
According to a report by the *South China Morning Post*, President Xi has expelled Vice Admiral Li Hanjun, Chief of Staff of the Chinese Navy, and senior nuclear scientist Liu Shipeng from the country’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress (NPC). This move comes as part of a broader disciplinary campaign targeting both the PLA and China’s defence industry.
On Friday, the NPC’s Standing Committee announced that the “Navy Servicemen Congress” had removed Li Hanjun from his role as a representative of the 14th National People’s Congress. In a separate decision, the Gansu Provincial People’s Congress expelled Liu Shipeng from his post as a deputy representative.
Not the first top-level dismissal
Earlier, General Miao Hua, who was in charge of ideological affairs in the PLA, was removed from the Central Military Commission (CMC) — China’s top military body directly headed by Xi Jinping. Removal from the NPC is seen as a precursor to more serious disciplinary action, often indicating the start of an internal investigation.
China typically maintains secrecy around internal military matters, but announcements from the NPC often serve as public indicators of major shifts and disciplinary moves within the armed forces.
Who is Vice Admiral Li Hanjun?
Publicly available information about 60-year-old Li Hanjun is limited. Before becoming Navy Chief of Staff, he served as Deputy Director of the Training and Administration Department under the Central Military Commission. He also worked in the Office of Reforms and Organisational Restructuring.
In 2014, he was appointed Commander of a naval base in Fujian Province and was promoted to Vice Admiral. During that time, he also served as Director of Training at the Naval Command College and later became the college’s president. It is believed that his career trajectory closely mirrored that of General Miao Hua during their parallel tenures in Fujian.
Why was nuclear scientist Liu Shipeng removed?
Liu Shipeng’s removal has raised questions due to the sensitive and strategic nature of his work. Although the exact reasons remain undisclosed, Liu held key positions in China’s civil and military nuclear sectors. He was the Deputy Chief Engineer at the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and served as Chairman and Communist Party Secretary of CNNC’s highly classified “404 Base” in Gansu province.
Established in 1958 and covering over 1,000 square kilometres, the 404 Base is China’s first and largest nuclear research facility. It was here that China developed its first nuclear bomb in 1964 and its first hydrogen bomb in 1967. The facility remains critical to China’s nuclear deterrent and defence capabilities.
Liu was even honoured by the Gansu provincial government in 2023 as one of the region’s “outstanding entrepreneurs”, making his removal all the more surprising.
Crackdown signals intensified control under Xi
These high-profile dismissals signal President Xi Jinping’s intensified crackdown on corruption and indiscipline within the Chinese military and defence establishment. Analysts believe this reflects Xi’s ongoing efforts to consolidate power within the PLA and ensure ideological and operational loyalty from top military and scientific personnel.
With the removal of such senior figures, it is evident that the Chinese leadership is undertaking a sweeping internal campaign to restore discipline and eliminate dissent in critical areas of national security.
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