China appoints new Vice Chairman of Central Military Commission
Oct 24, 2025
Beijing [China], October 24: China has appointed General Zhang Shengmin as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission after a recent disciplinary action that expelled many senior military officials from the Party.
Xinhua News Agency reported on October 23 that China has appointed Senior General Zhang Shengmin as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, replacing the previously dismissed He Weidong, according to Reuters.
China's Central Military Commission ( CMC ) consists of seven members, headed by President Xi Jinping and two vice chairmen. Since 2023, the agency has removed three members following anti-corruption investigations.
On October 17, He Weidong, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission ( CMC ), and Miao Hua, a member of the Central Military Commission (CMC), were expelled from the Party and stripped of their military ranks, along with seven other senior military officials.
Investigations have shown that these nine people have seriously violated party discipline and are suspected of committing serious crimes involving an especially large amount of money, an extremely serious nature, and an especially bad influence.
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has decided to expel nine people from the Party and transfer their suspected criminal records to the military prosecutor's office for legal action. Previously, the CMC had decided to strip the nine people of their military rank.
Before being appointed as Vice Chairman of the CMC, Mr. Zhang Shengmin (67 years old) was the Director of the CMC Discipline Inspection Commission. Before joining the CMC in 2017, Mr. Zhang served for many years in the rocket force and logistics agency. With this promotion, Mr. Zhang becomes the third highest-ranking official in the CMC, after President Xi and Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia .
The appointment announcement was made on the final day of the Fourth Plenum of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in Beijing on October 23. The Central Committee also decided to replace 11 members at the meeting, marking the highest personnel change since 2017.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
