The Chinese Communist Party has expelled nine high-ranking generals in one of the largest acts of public crackdowns on the military seen in decades.

The nine men were charged with serious financial crimes, according to a statement issued by China's Ministry of Defense.

Most of them were three-star generals and were part of the Central Committee of the party, decision-making body. They have also been expelled from the military.

While the statement presents the expulsion as part of an anti-corruption campaign, analysts point out that it could also be interpreted as a political purge.

This comes on the eve of the party plenary session, where the Central Committee will discuss the country's economic development plan and vote on its new members.

Those charged

The nine officials are:

Of these nine, He Weidong was considered the most prominent, holding the second-highest position in the Chinese military, after President Xi Jinping, who is the leader of the CMC.

He Weidong was last seen in March, and his prolonged absence from public view fueled speculation that he was being investigated as part of a purge of the military leadership.

He also served on the Politburo, the Chinese Communist Party's top decision-making body, making him the first member to Politburo asset under investigation.

The Defense Ministry statement said the nine men “seriously violated party discipline and are suspected of serious duty-related crimes involving an extremely large amount of money, of an extremely grave nature, and with extremely harmful consequences.”

It added that the men now face military prosecution and said their punishment was a “significant achievement in the party and military’s anti-corruption campaign.”

“Toxic influence”

The CMC has signaled for months that it would carry out a crackdown,issuing new guidelines in July calling for the elimination of “toxic influence” in the military and listing “ironclad rules” for cadres.

This crackdown follows smaller-scale public purges of other military officers in recent years, including former defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu.

Senior Rocket Forces generals were also removed. One of the replacements was Wang Houbin, who is now one of nine officials expelled from the party.

Civilian officials have not been spared either, most notably with the disappearance of Foreign Minister Qin Gang in 2023.

The man then tipped to replace him, Liu Jianchao, has not been seen since July.

Neil Thomas, a researcher in China politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told the BBC Chinese Service that Xi’s purges are about projecting strength.

“In his view, removing corruption or disloyal cadres is the Party’s ‘self-revolution’ into a clean, disciplined, and effective organization capable of ruling indefinitely.”

However, he noted, purges can also stifle initiative and tighten governance. “This is the price of Xi’s power: the system becomes cleaner and more compliant, but also more cautious and, at times, more fragile.”

Many will be watching closely to see who attends the next Fourth Plenum, which begins on October 20.

“If attendance plummets, it will be the clearest public signal yet of the scale of the purges,” Thomas said.

Additional reporting by Ian Tang, BBC Monitoring.