Asia & Pacific
Under a years-long anti-corruption campaign initiated by the Chinese leader, scores of senior officials and top generals have been investigated, removed and purged, with two former defense ministers were handed suspended death sentences in May.
Chinese President Xi Jinping applauds during a ceremony marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on July 1, 2026. (Reuters/Maxim Shemetov)
China's President Xi Jinping promoted two military officers to the rank of general on Friday while tapping one of them as the new head of the military's top disciplinary and anti-corruption body, as Xi works to rebuild his depleted top military command.Zhang Shuguang, a veteran People's Liberation Army (PLA) anti-graft officer, and Wang Gang, commander of the PLA Air Force, were promoted by Xi during a ceremony in Beijing to the highest rank for officers on active duty in China, state media reports showed.
Zhang Shuguang, now head of the Central Military Commission's (CMC) powerful discipline inspection commission, replaces Zhang Shengmin as the military's top anti-graft watchdog. Zhang Shengmin has held the post since 2017, even after being promoted to the CMC's vice chairman in 2025.
