China's Xi promotes two PLA generals after anti-corruption purge thins top military ranks

China's President Xi Jinping has promoted two senior People's Liberation Army (PLA) officers to the rank of general in a fresh shake-up of the military's top leadership, as Beijing moves to rebuild its depleted command structure following years of anti-corruption purges. The appointments are widely seen as a precursor to a broader reorganisation at the top and part of Xi's efforts to reinforce the military's loyalty to the ruling Communist Party.State media reported that Xi promoted Zhang Shuguang, a veteran PLA anti-graft officer, and Wang Gang, commander of the PLA Air Force, during a ceremony in Beijing on Friday. Zhang was also appointed head of the Central Military Commission's (CMC) discipline inspection commission, the military's top anti-corruption watchdog.The promotions come after a prolonged anti-corruption campaign that has seen dozens of senior military officials investigated, removed or purged, leaving China's seven-member supreme military command reduced to just two serving members — Xi, who chairs the commission, and Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin.Zhang Shuguang replaces Zhang Shengmin as head of the CMC's powerful discipline inspection commission. Zhang Shengmin had held the post since 2017, even after being promoted to CMC vice chairman in 2025.According to state media, the appointments could position Zhang Shuguang and Wang Gang to fill vacancies on the seven-member commission, which has been depleted by corruption investigations.The anti-corruption campaign has also resulted in severe punishments for former senior officials. Two former defence ministers were handed suspended death sentences in May.Earlier this year, Xi, who is also head of the military, ordered senior PLA officers to undergo an intensive 10-week political retraining programme following the removal of much of the military's top leadership.Addressing the officers in April, Xi said, "All thoughts and actions of seeking private gain and corruption are fundamentally incompatible with the party's nature and purpose."The programme required senior officers to study Xi's writings, revisit their Communist Party oath and undertake self-examination, Reuters reported, quoting a PLA-run newspaper.Describing the exercise, the newspaper said the officers, with a determination to "turn the knife's blade on oneself," were guided to "lay bare their faults with a spirit of thorough self-revolution, and to identify and examine instances of contamination by pernicious influence and manifestations of mutation."The campaign has already led to the removal of two former CMC vice chairmen, including the military's top general, further reshaping the PLA's senior leadership.The current Central Military Commission lineup was appointed in October 2022 and was originally expected to serve a five-year term. With the leadership significantly reduced following the anti-corruption drive, the latest promotions are expected to form part of a broader rebuilding of the commission ahead of the next Communist Party congress, expected in 2027, with further appointments anticipated when a new CMC is announced at the end of the current term.Catch the latest world news and top headlines. Download the TOI App.