Deputy commander of China’s army among 5 stripped of lawmaker status amid corruption probe

Deng Zhiping, hailed after Vietnam border clashes in ’70s and ’80s, is latest to fall in President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

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Deng Zhiping was among five lawmakers removed from the NPC, China’s top legislature, on Friday. Photo: Weibo

Published: 9:00pm, 13 Sep 2024Updated: 2:16pm, 14 Sep 2024

Deng Zhiping, a deputy commander of China’s army, has been stripped of his lawmaker status, becoming the latest to fall in Beijing’s anti-corruption drive into its military.

Lieutenant General Deng, 60, was known as a war hero during China’s border clashes with Vietnam in the 1970s and 1980s, when he won second-class and third-class honours.

Before his promotion to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) army force headquarters he served in the Western Theatre Command, which oversees the border with India.

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A notice on Friday by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) was the first confirmation of Deng’s downfall. He was last seen in public in March when he attended the annual NPC session.

Deng was among five lawmakers removed from the NPC, the country’s top legislature, on Friday. A separate announcement published by the Standing Committee of the NPC said he was suspected of “serious violation of laws and discipline”, a phrase that usually refers to corruption.

The other four officials had been the subject of public announcements about anti-corruption probes and dismissal from their original positions.

The military is among the most opaque of China’s state sectors, as appointments and investigations are usually made public long after they occur, compared with changes involving government and party officials.

Deng is the latest general to be disgraced amid President Xi Jinping’s far-reaching anti-corruption campaign into the military, which has accelerated in the past two years.