Chinese President Xi Jinping promoted Zhang Shuguang and Wang Gang to the rank of general on July 3, 2026. Zhang was appointed head of the Central Military Commission’s discipline inspection commission, replacing Zhang Shengmin, while Wang became commander of the People's Liberation Army Air Force [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Zhang Shengmin, who held the military anti-corruption post since 2017, was promoted to vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) in 2025 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The appointments come amidst an extensive anti-corruption campaign launched by Xi in mid-2023 targeting senior PLA leadership. The campaign has removed at least 18 top officials, including two vice-military chairmen, three CMC members, at least one former defense minister, and a dozen senior generals [1, 2].
As a result, the supreme military command has shrunk to just Xi Jinping and Zhang Shengmin [3, 4, 5]. Two former defense ministers received suspended death sentences for corruption in May 2026 [3, 4, 5]. Earlier this year, Xi ordered a 10-week political retraining program for senior PLA officers to reinforce discipline and loyalty. At the program’s start, in April, Xi declared, "All thoughts and actions of seeking private gain and corruption are fundamentally incompatible with the party’s nature and purpose" [3, 4, 5].
An investigation was also launched into top general Zhang Youxia earlier in 2026, and six military lawmakers have recently been stripped of their seats in the national Parliament [1, 2].
The latest appointments on July 3 strengthen Xi’s control over the military anti-corruption apparatus and the PLA Air Force command [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
