China removes senior officials and generals from lawmaking posts

China on Friday stripped six military lawmakers, former financial regulator head Li Yunze and recently probed ​Politburo member Ma Xingrui of their posts in the ‌National People's Congress, the country's top legislative body, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The report cited a notice from the ​National People's Congress Standing Committee, which provided no ​reason for the dismissals.

There was no immediate comment ⁠or response to a request sent to the ​defence ministry.

The removal marks the latest escalation in a ​years-long anti-corruption campaign initiated by President Xi Jinping that has seen scores of senior officials and top generals investigated, removed and purged.

Among ​the removed military lawmakers in the notice was General ​Xu Xueqiang, who has been the head of the Equipment Development ‌Department ⁠of the Central Military Commission, a top military body tasked with overseeing the development, acquisition and testing of equipment for the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Xu has also ​been commander-in-chief of ​China's Manned ⁠Space Programme since 2022.

Also removed were General Li Fengbiao, who had served as political ​commissar of the PLA Western Theatre Command, ​and ⁠General Guo Puxiao, who had been the political commissar of the PLA Air Force, as well as the ⁠Eastern ​Theatre Command's Wang Kangping, Cyberspace Force's ​Zhang Minghua, and the Army's Yin Hongxing.
The officials could not be reached ​for comment.

-Reuters