China has removed nine senior military officers from the country’s national legislature, in what appears to be a further expansion of President Xi Jinping’s ongoing purge of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The move signals that Xi’s campaign inside the military is widening and continuing at a deep level. Among those dismissed is an army commander whose unit would play a major role in any possible attack on Taiwan.

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) announced late on Thursday that it had stripped the nine officers of their positions as delegates to the parliament. Ten other NPC members were also removed at the same time. The announcement came just days before the legislature’s annual plenary session, which is scheduled to take place next week. The NPC is widely seen as a rubber-stamp parliament that usually approves decisions already made by the Communist Party leadership.

With these dismissals, the size of the PLA delegation in the NPC has been reduced to 243 members. At the start of the current NPC term in 2023, there were 281 military delegates. In China, NPC delegates are typically removed only when they are under investigation. Although the statement did not give detailed reasons for each removal, such actions generally signal serious internal disciplinary cases.

The latest move follows a major shock last month when Zhang Youxia, China’s most senior general, was purged. The Communist Party accused Zhang of undermining Xi’s authority. The official announcement stated that Zhang was under investigation. His removal has had a major impact on the Central Military Commission (CMC), which is the top leadership body of the PLA. After Zhang’s purge, the CMC is left with only one member apart from its chair, Xi Jinping himself.

Many observers believe this shows that Xi’s long-running military cleansing campaign has gone far beyond a simple anti-corruption drive. While the campaign began with a focus on corruption, it now appears to be affecting the military’s operational structure and political direction. Some experts suggest that such widespread removals could have an impact on the PLA’s combat readiness and internal stability.

Among the officers removed this week is Ding Laifu, commander of the PLA Ground Force’s 73rd Army. Military experts believe the 73rd Army would be one of the most important units if Beijing attempts to invade Taiwan. The 73rd Army belongs to the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, which is responsible for leading any potential military operation against Taiwan.

In recent years, several amphibious units under the 73rd Army have significantly increased their training activities. Taipei has described these developments as evidence that the PLA is improving its ability to launch an assault on short notice.

Another important officer dismissed is Yang Guang, commander of the PLA Rocket Force’s Base 64. This base operates intercontinental ballistic missiles, including nuclear-capable ones. According to a report by the China Aerospace Studies Institute, a research centre of the US Air Force’s Air University, Base 64 has almost doubled in size since 2017. The report said the base commands seven brigades, including at least four road-mobile nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile brigades and one dual nuclear-conventional intermediate-range ballistic missile brigade.

Li Qiaoming, commander of the PLA Ground Force, was also removed from the NPC. His dismissal confirms speculation about his purge after he had been absent from public view for an extended period. Long periods without public appearances by senior officials in China are often seen as signs that they are under investigation.

Several political commissars were also among those dismissed. Bian Ruifeng and Wang Donghai, who serve as political commissars at the CMC’s political work department and its national defence mobilisation department, respectively, lost their positions as NPC delegates. Li Wei, political commissar of the Information Support Force, was also removed. The Information Support Force was created just two years ago to provide intelligence and communications support to the PLA.

The PLA’s political work system plays a central role in ensuring loyalty to the Communist Party. Political commissars are responsible for overseeing personnel matters and ideology within the military. The PLA is described as a party army rather than a national military, meaning its loyalty is directly tied to the Communist Party rather than to the state alone.

In addition, two former political commissars from the navy and the air force, as well as a former navy commander, were stripped of their positions as NPC delegates. Although the officers removed this week are not as senior as Zhang Youxia, the breadth of the dismissals confirms that Xi’s crackdown is expanding across different branches and levels of the armed forces.

The continued removals highlight the seriousness of Xi Jinping’s effort to reshape the military leadership. By targeting commanders from ground forces, rocket forces, political departments, and support units, the campaign shows no sign of slowing down.