China sentences former defense ministers Wei Fenghe, Li Shangfu to death with reprieve for graft, state media reports

It basically shows that the state is all powerful but merciful. Generally speaking if someone is involved in corruption or some form of organised crime and they get the death penalty with reprieve, the understanding is “if you help with the investigation, we will show mercy and not have you executed”. Funnily enough, avoiding the firing squad is an effective driver in ensuring corrupt officials remember the names of their accomplices, and the location of the hidden funds.

For Mao Zedong he came up with it during the crackdown campaign on the enemies of the socialist regime, and he declared it was necessary to reconcile the needs of justice (as those crimes warranted death) with giving opportunity for the accused to reform their behaviour. Politically speaking, putting to death officials for corruption will raise the stakes dramatically, make them more resistant, and less collaborative with the central authority and investigations. Life imprisonment can always be overturned due to change of politics Iin Beijing. Death penalty cannot be

Tell us everything you know in totality. If they are happy with the responses you live. Someone is much more willing to talk in a true life or death scenario.

It's like rules of engagement in warfare. If the worst consequence of losing a political struggle is confinement in a nicer-than-average prison, the participants are less likely to launch disruptive final stands such as coups or civil wars that would destabilize the whole country.

Fyi, factoids are things that are presented as fact but are not true.

There are very little real death penalty cases for unviolent crimes for decades. Death penalty with execution in China for two decades focus on murder, robbery, drugs and other violent crimes. Corruption, financial crime cases have not been executed generally.

Hey that's how Texas do it. Death penalty? Riding the lightning bud..

And they usually get out after 10-15 years, but I read on Chinese sub that this time, Xi invented a new rule that these 2 will NEVER qualify for release, so essentially life sentences.

You never know when you might need them again

Cuz he still has a lot of support in the military and they are afraid that the military might decide that they've had enough

There are very little real death penalty cases for unviolent crimes for decades. Death penalty with execution in China for two decades focus on murder, robbery, drugs and other violent crimes. Corruption, financial crime cases have not been executed generally.

There are very little real death penalty cases for unviolent crimes for decades. Death penalty with execution in China for two decades focus on murder, robbery, drugs and other violent crimes. Corruption, financial crime cases have not been executed generally.

They have a special prison for high level officials where they enjoy comfortable, though not luxurious treatment.

It’s always about the condiments.

This make sense, given Mao was educated in classical texts, so he would have drawn on those ideas

Those were the people he went through the Long March and the civil war. In addition, the scale of China inflates the total number of death toll. What also complicates it is a very different transition to socialism, where urban capitalists were absorbed into the regime through gradual state-civil partnerships and cooperation instead of simple expropriation. Many individuals of the old society avoided repression up to the Cultural Revolution.

>It's one of those things that just doesn't work in a democratic system. It's one of the things that doesn't work in any system. I actually have a book about communist Romania, which went through similar "we are very strict on corruption" campaigns. Just like you hinted at with Trump, only the losers(or some underling/worker) in political struggles got it, while the guys connected to the inner party and/or the party appointed judiciary were pretty untouchable.

no, its cuz they were incompetent and more busy with siphoning the pla's resources and building factions instead of fixing it for a future confrontation. loyalty to xi hasn't been in question since he got rid of term limit. he's as stable as Mao, and nobody said Mao purged people cuz they were plotting rebellion. nobody would be insane enough to against Mao or Xi at their peak. these latest cleaning out of top military leadership is a signal that Xi wants the military to be combat ready instead of acting as a personal bank account and political capital of the old guards, most of whom he personally appointed and elevated. in China you can be as rich and corrupt as you want, but you have to achieve the goals leadership set out. if you cant achieve their goals but still enrich yourself, you get remove.

We can still take some of the good ideas.

Hey, at least it was three comments down before someone tried to make it all about the US. Usually it's the top comment. Edit: Oh nevermind, it's risen to second now. It will probably be the top comment soon.

😒🙄🫤😒

That's exactly why it worries me. They're all corrupt, the emperor just has to decide who he will punish for it.

I know in this case the accusation for them wasn't just corruption, Zhang Youxia was accused of weakening China's nuclear arsenal and leaking nuclear secrets to the US. Trump made some accusations that hinted there was a mole. Rocket force filled missiles with water and didn't maintain nuclear silos according to the US. These 2 are linked to the rocket force corruption (one is part of rocket force and the other is in some space project). IMO Xi is making an example, and if you go to any expat sub like r china you'll see people complain that visa runs and buying government documents is a lot harder now than before. He really has cracked down on corruption (still a ton of it to cut through red tape for construction though)

What worries me is how competent the higher up are with all the corruption to get into positions. Last thing they want is a Russia situation where the army is like a paper tiger.

> I would say nearly everyone at that level of power can be accused of corruption with a good degree of it actually being the case. This is really the danger of corruption itself. I think most believe the problem with corruption is value-based. E.g. they are getting unfairly, they are engaging in hypocrisy, they are taking what isn't theirs. But the real danger is exactly what you said. It consilidates power. It's the blackmail that it imposes. A corrupt official must obey those above them with absolute loyalty lest they be cast into the fire. It's the absolute control it gives to people above them.

I mean, most militaries are due to factors unique to the field. The Pentagon has NEVER passed an audit, for example.

Weird that you got downvoted for saying the Chinese military is corrupt. I think the number of corruption cases and prosecutions speaks for itself. I even think members of the Chinese military itself would say that corruption exists despite these cases and that there has been improvement but further action and improvement in the future is needed. But no, just a bunch of whataboutism.

Well, it's just hard to ignore the lack of an independent judiciary and press.

If Trump bans the democrats, execute never trumpers and democrats, made himself president for life, changing the constitution to that Maga is in the US constitution, the US military now serves Maga republicans. Trump executes a general for corruption, even though you know Trump is corrupt. Foreigners are applauding trump for executing corrupt officials. Do you think Americans would accept it for stability or devolve into civil war? Americans are dumb as rocks regards in terms of geopolitics. To the point that Americans browsing this place get other countries politics so wrong who are far above average American voter in terms geopolitics is extremely disturbing.. ..

Of the corruption or purge? No. If it is corruption it runs very deep, all the way up to the top of military. It shows how problematic the system is. If it is a purge then it shows how wasteful all these power struggles are, wasting experienced generals. And the bots scratching their heads trying to find ways to defend it. They are not even allowed to think that, could there be something wrong with the system that should be fixed. It is hilarious and sad at the same time.

Sounds like you came in to give Xi cover. Let him defend himself.

One springs to mind!

They don't care unless the leader is bothered. Same as in russia.

That's not the real issue in this story that the state media reports. They let it go on for years until the top dog gets pissed for some reason or just to make it seem like they care about "graft".