2 min readNew DelhiMay 7, 2026 08:41 PM IST
Former Chinese defence ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu have both been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on corruption charges, according to a report by state media outlet Xinhua on Thursday.
Both the men were expelled from the ruling Communist Party in 2024 for what was officially described as serious violations of discipline, a term commonly used in China to refer to corruption.
The sentences were handed down separately by China’s military court, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Both Wei and his successor Li served under President Xi Jinping and were expelled from the ruling Communist Party in 2024. Wei held the position of Defence Minister from 2018 to 2023, while Li, who took over from him, served only a few months in the role before being removed.
In the Chinese legal system, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve is typically converted to a life imprisonment term if the person commits no further offences during that period.
Li, a Chinese aerospace engineer who previously led the People’s Liberation Army’s crucial Rocket Force, was personally handpicked by Xi himself for the top defence position.
(Paramita Datta is an intern with The Indian Express)
