China dismisses 19 deputies, including nine military officers, before its annual congress

BEIJING (AP) — China's legislature dismissed 19 of its members, including nine military officers, a week before the start of its annual meeting.

Thursday night's announcement did not clarify the cause of the dismissals, but such measures are often linked to corruption investigations.

The anti-corruption campaign launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping shows no signs of abating after more than a decade. In recent years, the military has been one of the targets, including the dismissal of its top general last month, in Xi's attempt to reform and modernize the armed forces.

Analysts say the campaign is also a way for the leader, who is in his 14th year in power, to eliminate potential rivals and ensure loyalty among his subordinates.

The dismissals are unlikely to have any significant impact on the People's Congress meeting. National, which begins next Thursday and is expected to last a week. The legislature, which has a largely ceremonial role, is limited to endorsing decisions already made by the ruling Communist Party.

Among the removed officers are two members of the Central Military Commission, the highest body of the armed forces, as well as others from the army, navy, air force and missile force. Three of them are generals. The missile force, which oversees China's nuclear arsenal, was one of the first targets of the military purges.

The other dismissed deputies were regional representatives from several provinces. The dismissals leave the National People's Assembly with 2,878 members.

The dismissals were announced by the legislature's Standing Committee, a small, powerful group whose members meet periodically throughout the year and can pass laws.

The Standing Committee, which met before next week's congress, also removed two officials: the president of the military court and Emergency Management Minister Wang Xiangxi. Authorities announced last month that Wang was being investigated for corruption.

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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.