China ousts nine PLA officers in anti-corruption purge before plenum

China expelled nine senior military officials, including Vice Chairman He Weidong of the Central Military Commission, from the Communist Party and the armed forces on Friday as part of an anticorruption investigation, the defense ministry announced. The removals, the ministry said, followed inquiries that found the officers suspected of serious duty related crimes involving exceptionally large sums of money. The move was disclosed days before a major Communist Party meeting in Beijing.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said the nine officials are "suspected of extremely serious crimes involving exceptionally large sums of money" and that their cases have been referred to military prosecutors for review and possible prosecution. Zhang described the offenses as of a grave nature with "extremely harmful consequences," without providing further details on the alleged wrongdoing.

He Weidong, who served as one of the CMC vice chairs and was a member of the 24 person Politburo, is the most senior official targeted so far in the campaign against corruption in the People's Liberation Army. He had not been seen in public for months, a pattern that frequently preceded official...