On Aug. 24, China’s military issued a public notice seeking information about procurement violations within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force, signaling that Beijing’s years-long anti-corruption campaign targeting the vital branch remains underway.
The notice comes after successive purges swept through the Rocket Force’s senior leadership and amid a broader shake-up of the Central Military Commission (CMC), China’s highest military command body. The PLA Rocket Force oversees China’s land-based nuclear and conventional missile arsenal and has been one of the primary targets of a sweeping military crackdown that began in 2023.
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Asking whistleblowers to step forward
On Aug. 24, China’s Military Procurement Network published a “Notice on Soliciting Information on Irregular Procurement Practices in Rocket Force Units,” asking individuals involved in Rocket Force procurement to report suspected violations.
The notice covers procurement of materials and services, construction projects, food supplies, pharmaceuticals, and medical consumables. Potential violations can involve multiple stages of the procurement process, including requirements preparation, procurement evaluations, contract performance, and online purchasing. Projects handled by outside bidding and procurement agencies are also included.
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Suppliers, procurement-review experts, bidding agencies, bid representatives, military personnel, and others involved in relevant projects may submit information. The notice requires reports to be truthful and supported by relevant evidence. Submissions will be accepted through Nov. 30, the agency said.
The announcement came just two days after the Sixth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) top anti-corruption body. The Aug. 22 meeting reviewed disciplinary work during the first half of 2026 and outlined priorities for the next stage.
The new solicitation suggests scrutiny of the Rocket Force remains active despite years of investigations and leadership removals. All four men who successively commanded the force before its current leadership, Wei Fenghe, Zhou Yaning, Li Yuchao, and Wang Houbin, have fallen from power amid the broader military crackdown.
Wang, who was appointed in 2023 to replace Li following the initial Rocket Force scandal, was himself expelled from the CCP and military in October 2025 for what authorities described as “serious violations of Party discipline.”
Fall of senior generals
The timing has also attracted attention because of the investigations into former CMC Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and former Joint Staff Department chief Liu Zhenli. On Jan. 24, China’s Ministry of National Defense announced that Zhang and Liu were under investigation for suspected “serious violations of discipline and law,” the standard terminology frequently used in corruption cases.
On Aug. 28, the CCP formally removed both men from the state Central Military Commission, leaving the body with only two active members: CCP leader Xi Jinping and Zhang Shengmin, who heads the military’s anti-corruption apparatus. Chinese authorities have not publicly disclosed the specific conduct underlying the investigations into Zhang and Liu.
Following the Aug. 24 Rocket Force procurement notice, some overseas Chinese commentators speculated that investigators could be seeking additional evidence connected to the cases. There is currently no public evidence, however, establishing a direct connection between the new procurement solicitation and either Zhang or Liu.
Years of turmoil
The PLA Rocket Force was established on Dec. 31, 2015, succeeding the PLA’s Second Artillery Corps. It oversees China’s land-based nuclear and conventional missile forces, including medium-, intermediate-, and intercontinental-range ballistic missiles.
Xi has described the branch as the “core force of strategic deterrence,” underscoring its importance to Beijing’s military strategy. The current upheaval became publicly visible in 2023. In July of that year, reports emerged that then-Rocket Force Commander Li Yuchao, Deputy Commander Liu Guangbin, and former Deputy Commander Zhang Zhenzhong had been taken away for investigation.
Zhang Zhenzhong was subsequently removed as a deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress over suspected “serious violations of discipline and law,” while Li was removed from the legislature in September 2023. Li was expelled from the CCP in June 2024. Former Rocket Force Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Wu Guohua, 66, meanwhile, died on July 4, 2023, three years after retiring.
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