Death-With-Reprieve Sentences: How Xi Jinping’s Anti-Corruption Drive Brought Down 2 Defence Ministers

Last Updated:May 07, 2026, 17:17 IST

The punishment marks one of the harshest actions taken against senior military officials since Xi launched his anti-corruption drive in 2012. 

Two former Chinese defence ministers were handed death sentences with a two-year reprieve on corruption charges, in one of the most dramatic developments in Chinese  President Xi Jinping’s long-running anti-corruption campaign targeting the country’s military and political elite. China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported that former defence ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were convicted by a military court for bribery-related offences.

What Were Wei Fenghe And Li Shangfu Convicted Of?

According to Xinhua, Wei Fenghe was found guilty of accepting bribes while Li Shangfu was convicted of both accepting and offering bribes. The court said the crimes were of an “extremely serious nature" and caused “exceptionally detrimental harm" to the military and the Communist Party, South China Morning Post reported.

What Does A “Death Sentence With Reprieve" Mean In China?

Under China’s legal system, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve usually means the execution is suspended for two years. If the convicted person does not commit additional crimes during that period, the sentence is typically commuted to life imprisonment.

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However, in the cases of Wei and Li, authorities said the punishment would be converted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or sentence reduction. Both were also stripped of political rights for life and had all personal property confiscated.

Why Are These Sentences Significant?

The punishment marks one of the harshest actions taken against senior military officials since Xi launched his anti-corruption drive in 2012. The campaign has targeted thousands of officials across the Communist Party, government institutions and the People’s Liberation Army, but it is rare for former defence ministers to receive such severe sentences.

Li Shangfu served as China’s defence minister from March to October 2023, becoming the shortest-serving defence minister in the country’s modern history after disappearing from public view for weeks before being removed from office. Wei Fenghe held the same position from 2018 to 2023. Chinese authorities announced investigations into both men in June 2024 before expelling them from the Communist Party.

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