He Weidong
He Weidong is a former general of the People's Liberation Army who served as the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and member of the 20th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party from October 2022 until his removal on 17 October 2025.
He served as commander of the Eastern Theater Command from 2019 to 2022. He was promoted to the rank of major general in July 2008, lieutenant general in July 2017 and general in December 2019. He was considered to have been a part of the Fujian clique of the Xi Jinping faction within the CCP.
He was dismissed by from his position of Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission sometime during 2025; expelled from the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army on 17 October 2025. He was replaced by Zhang Shengmin.
Education
He was born in Nanping, Fujian, with ancestry was in the town of Xuhe, in Dongtai, Jiangsu in May 1957. In 1981 he graduated from PLA Nanjing Army Command College. In 2001 he entered the National University of Defense Technology.Military career
He enlisted in the People's Liberation Army in December 1972 after middle school. He was Commander of Jiangsu Military District in July 2013 and Shanghai Garrison Command in March 2014. In February 2015 he succeeded Zhu Shengling as a member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. In July 2016 he was transferred to Deputy Commander of the Western Theater Command and Commander of the Western Theater Command Ground Force. On February 24, 2018, he was elected as a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress. In September 2019, he was promoted to become Commander of the Eastern Theater Command, replacing Liu Yuejun.Vice chairman of the Central Military Commission
In October 2022, Zhang was named as a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party and the second-ranking vice chairman of the CCP Central Military Commission. He also became the vice chairman of the state CMC in March 2023.In January 2024, at the annual meeting of the disciplinary inspectors of the PLA, He said the military should "adhere to a strict tone, use stricter standards to scrutinize the key few, and show determination to get to the bottom of long-standing problems". He also called on the CMC Commission for Discipline Inspection to maintain loyalty and support to CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping. In March, during a discussion with a PLA delegation, He called on crackdowns on "fake combat capabilities".
Downfall
In April 2025, the Financial Times reported that He had been arrested, placed under anti-corruption investigations and was removed from his post as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. At the funeral of the former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xu Qiliang on 7 June 2025, no wreath from He was present, sparking speculation on whether he was removed from his post. On October 17, 2025, the Ministry of National Defense announced that He was expelled from the CCP and the PLA for "serious violations of discipline and law". He was replaced by Zhang Shengmin. His removal as the First-ranked CMC Vice Chairman was the first since the fall of Zhao Ziyang after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.He, along with eight other senior military officials, was investigated and punished for "serious violations of Party discipline and law" and "suspected of major duty-related crimes". A spokesperson for the Defense Ministry stated that the violations involved "exceptionally large amounts of money" and were of an "extremely serious nature and with extremely negative impacts". Reports indicated that He Weidong's expulsion was also linked to accusations of political disloyalty and personal misconduct described by official sources as "loss of chastity," suggesting violations of party discipline beyond financial corruption.
On 27th December 2025, He Weidong was disqualified as a deputy to the National People's Congress along four other military officers including He Hongjun, Wang Peng, Wang Renhua and Zhang Hongbing.
His downfall, along with that of Miao Hua, is believed to be a part of factional struggles within the CCP. Weidong belonged to Xi Jinping's "Fujian clique", while Zhang Youxia led the "Shaanxi clique". The removal of He and Miao from the CMC during the spring and summer of 2025, is believed to be a massive shakeup in the balance of power by Zhang. Zhang himself fell from power in January 2026, when Xi arrested and put him under investigation for corruption.