BEIJING, May 7: Two former Chinese defence ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve over graft charges on Thursday, official media reported.
Wei and his successor Li, who worked under President Xi Jinping’s watch, were expelled from the ruling Communist Party in 2024.
Wei served as Defence Minister from 2018 to 2023, and Li barely served a few months as his successor.
Li, a Chinese aerospace engineer who headed the People’s Liberation Army’s all-important Rocket (Missile) Force, was personally picked up for the top defence post by Xi himself.
