Persist in Combating Every Instance of Corruption and Purging Every Instance of Graft

坚持有腐必反、有贪必肃

PLA Daily (解放军报) 8 May 2026

Summary

Military judicial organs have issued first-instance verdicts in the cases of former Defense Ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, and PLA Daily's commentator column is using the convictions to drive a political education campaign directed at senior cadres. The piece frames the verdicts not primarily as a legal conclusion but as negative teaching material (反面教材) and a mandate for renewed 革命性锻造 (revolutionary tempering) — the CMC's ongoing program of political conditioning for the officer corps. The framing points to continued institutional anxiety that corruption among senior leaders has damaged the PLA's 'political ecosystem,' a problem the article names explicitly but whose full scope — how many additional cases may be under investigation, which functional systems were most affected — remains undisclosed.

The article confirms first-instance verdicts have been rendered in the cases of former Defense Ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, marking the formal judicial conclusion of the highest-profile PLA corruption prosecutions in years and providing the first explicit public confirmation of trial outcomes for both officials.

Translation

Persist in Combating Every Instance of Corruption and Purging Every Instance of Graft

■ PLA Daily Commentator

Military judicial organs have lawfully tried the cases of Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu and rendered first-instance verdicts. This fully embodies the Party Central Committee's firm resolve to comprehensively and strictly govern the Party and comprehensively and strictly govern the military. It demonstrates the unwavering determination and will of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission (CMC) to punish corruption, and it carries important significance for deterring corrupt elements, boosting morale and the fighting spirit of the armed forces, defending the political character of the people's armed forces, and keeping the people's armed forces pure and honorable.

The military wields the gun; there must absolutely be no persons harboring disloyalty toward the Party within its ranks, and there must absolutely be no place for corrupt elements to hide. Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, as senior leading cadres of the Party and the military, suffered the collapse of their ideals and the failure of their loyalty. They betrayed their original aspirations and mission and abandoned their Party principles. Their conduct betrayed the trust and weighty responsibilities placed in them by the Party Central Committee and the CMC, severely polluted the political ecosystem of the armed forces, and caused enormous damage to the cause of the Party, to national defense and military development, and to the image of senior leading cadres. The nature of their offenses is extremely serious, the impact is extremely malign, and the harm is particularly immense. That they have been subjected to legal sanction is entirely a case of being ensnared by their own schemes (作茧自缚), bringing calamity upon themselves (咎由自取), and reaping what they sowed (自作自受).

The Party has Party rules; the state has state law. For Party member cadres, abiding by Party discipline is a basic duty, and abiding by state law is an obligation. No Party organization or individual has any privilege that places them above Party discipline and state law; all must uphold the authority of Party discipline and state law; all must operate within the bounds of Party discipline and state law; and all must exercise power and fulfill responsibilities in accordance with Party discipline and state law. "The law does not defer to the noble; the plumb line does not yield to the crooked (法不阿贵，绳不挠曲)." The lawful adjudication of the cases of Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu once again demonstrates that no matter who it is, no matter how high the position or how great the power, all are equal before Party discipline and state law. Anyone who engages in corruption will absolutely not be tolerated. For those who have no sense of reverence and who test the law with their own persons, however much is involved will be investigated, and however deep the entanglement, it will be dug out. There are no "iron certificates of immunity from punishment (丹书铁券)," and there are no "iron-capped princes (铁帽子王)." No one should harbor any illusions of escaping consequences; no one can hold law and discipline in contempt. Strictly punishing corrupt elements is a major victory in the continuous deepening of the military's anti-corruption struggle, and an important manifestation of the strength of the Party and the people's armed forces.

Our Party is a Marxist political party that always represents the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the people; it has no special interests of its own whatsoever. All thoughts and conduct aimed at seeking private gain and engaging in corruption are fundamentally incompatible with the Party's nature and purpose. The anti-corruption struggle bears on the Party's absolute leadership over the military, on the nature and purpose of the people's armed forces, and on the long-term stability of the Party and the state. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, under the firm leadership of the Party Central Committee, the CMC, and Chairman Xi, the entire military has persisted in comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and comprehensively and strictly governing the military, has deeply advanced political rectification (政治整训), the rectification of conduct, and the enforcement of discipline and anti-corruption efforts, has persisted in thorough investigation and the complete elimination of evil, has resolutely investigated and dealt with corrupt elements at the senior levels of the military, and has worked to eliminate political hidden dangers. The people's armed forces under Party leadership have held fast to their roots and soul (根和魂), have set off on a path of rapid development, and have won the initiative in advancing toward a first-class military. The people's armed forces have rectified the source and restored the fundamentals (正本清源) through the reform and renewal of abuses, have forged unity of purpose and tempered the soul (凝心铸魂) through the process of being tempered into steel, and have shouldered their mission through hard struggle and advance, writing with concrete actions their wholehearted loyalty (赤胆忠诚) to the Party and the people. Practice has fully demonstrated that without the revolutionary tempering (革命性锻造) of politics, the great transformation of the people's armed forces in the new era would have been impossible.

The law and its principles are manifest: every instance of corruption must be combated, every instance of graft must be purged. The people's armed forces will not tolerate corruption; a mighty and civilized military will not tolerate defilement. The anti-corruption struggle must be advanced with unwavering resolve. Military Party member cadres, especially senior cadres, must take corrupt elements who have been investigated and dealt with—such as Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu—as negative teaching material. They must hold fast to the Party's original aspirations as their own innermost aspirations and treat the Party's mission as their very life. They must carry forward the spirit of thorough self-revolution (彻底的自我革命精神), take the lead in strengthening revolutionary tempering (革命性锻造), and resolve the real-world questions of why one joined the Party, why one joined the military, and what it means to serve as a commander. They must forge a political soul (政治灵魂) of loyalty to the Party, consolidate the ideological line of defense against corruption and degeneration, and take the lead in being steadfast in conviction, pragmatic in work, courageous in responsibility, and strict in self-discipline. They must understand law and discipline, know the rules, and have a sense of reverence; they must hold firm and guard well the ideological line of defense, the bottom line on the exercise of power, the red line of law and discipline, and the boundary of family conduct (家风界线). They must forever preserve the political character of integrity and clean governance, establish and practice a correct view of political performance (政绩观), and with a work style and image of loyalty, integrity, and responsibility, and with concrete actions, shoulder the historic responsibilities entrusted to them by the Party and the people.

The entire military must unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, persist in taking Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance, deeply implement Xi Jinping's Thought on Strengthening the Military (习近平强军思想), deeply implement the military strategic guidelines for the new era, profoundly appreciate the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments (两个确立)," strengthen the "Four Consciousnesses (四个意识)," firm up the "Four Confidences (四个自信)," achieve the "Two Upholds (两个维护)," implement the CMC Chairman Responsibility System, and at all times be loyal to the core, support the core, uphold the core, and defend the core. The military must deeply understand that strengthening the military requires first being strong politically, and that political strength is the most fundamental strength. It must fully recognize the bright prospects of the anti-corruption struggle, strengthen the conviction and confidence that anti-corruption efforts will surely succeed and that the goal of a strong military will surely be achieved, consolidate the high-pressure posture of zero tolerance and strict punishment, advance in an integrated manner the goals of not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt (不敢腐不能腐不想腐), and resolutely win the concentrated campaign, protracted campaign, and overall campaign (攻坚战持久战总体战) of the military's anti-corruption struggle. The military must persist in, apply well, and develop the important instrument of building the military through political work (政治建军), carry out ideological rectification (思想整风), deepen political rectification (政治整训), strengthen the revolutionary tempering of the military's cadre corps, restore and carry forward the fine traditions of our Party and our military, and ensure that the people's armed forces forever preserve their nature and purpose, always dare to fight and are certain to win, always unite in struggle, always produce outstanding talent in abundance, always remain pure and honorable, and always maintain strict law and discipline—so that they may strive to build a strong military under the Party's banner and greet the centenary of the founding of the military with a wholly renewed political bearing.

Original Chinese

坚持有腐必反、有贪必肃 ■解放军报评论员军事审判机关对魏凤和案件、李尚福案件进行了依法审理，作出一审判决，充分体现了党中央全面从严治党、全面从严治军的坚定决心，表明了党中央、中央军委坚定不移惩治腐败的决心意志，对于震慑腐败分子、提振军心士气，对于捍卫人民军队政治本色、保持人民军队纯洁光荣，具有重要意义。军队是拿枪杆子的，军中绝不能有对党怀有二心之人，绝不能有腐败分子藏身之地。魏凤和、李尚福身为党和军队高级领导干部，信仰坍塌、忠诚失节，背弃初心使命、丧失党性原则，其行为辜负党中央、中央军委信任重托，严重污染部队政治生态，给党的事业、国防和军队建设，以及高级领导干部形象造成极大损害，性质极其严重，影响极为恶劣，危害特别巨大。他们受到法律制裁，完全是作茧自缚、咎由自取、自作自受。党有党规，国有国法。对党员干部而言，遵守党的纪律是本分，遵守国家法律是义务。任何党的组织和个人都没有超越党纪国法的特权，都必须维护党纪国法权威，都必须在党纪国法范围内活动，都必须依照党纪国法行使权力、履行职责。“法不阿贵，绳不挠曲。”对魏凤和案件、李尚福案件的依法审理再次表明，不管是谁，不管职位有多高、权力有多大，在党纪国法面前一律平等，只要搞腐败就决不姑息，对那些不知敬畏、以身试法的，涉及多少查多少，牵扯多深挖多深，没有免罪“丹书铁券”，没有“铁帽子王”。任何人都不要心存侥幸，谁都不能蔑视法纪。严肃惩处腐败分子，是军队反腐败斗争不断向纵深推进的重大胜利，是党和人民军队有力量的重要体现。我们党是始终代表最广大人民根本利益的马克思主义政党，没有任何自己的特殊利益，一切谋私贪腐的思想和行为都同党的性质宗旨格格不入。反腐败斗争关系党对军队的绝对领导，关系人民军队性质宗旨，关系党和国家长治久安。党的十八大以来，在党中央、中央军委和习主席坚强领导下，全军部队坚持全面从严治党、全面从严治军，深入推进政治整训、正风肃纪反腐，坚持深挖彻查、除恶务尽，坚决查处军队高层腐败分子，着力消除政治隐患，党领导的人民军队守住了根和魂，走开了快速发展的步伐，赢得了迈向一流的主动。人民军队在革弊鼎新中正本清源，在淬火成钢中凝心铸魂，在攻坚奋进中担当使命，以实际行动书写了对党和人民的赤胆忠诚。实践充分证明，如果没有政治上的革命性锻造，就不可能有新时代人民军队伟大变革。法理昭彰，有腐必反，有贪必肃。人民军队不容腐败，威武文明之师不容玷污，必须坚定不移推进反腐败斗争。军队党员干部特别是高级干部要以魏凤和、李尚福等被查处的腐败分子为反面教材，坚持以党的初心为本心、以党的使命为生命，发扬彻底的自我革命精神，带头加强革命性锻造，解决好入党干什么、当兵干什么、为将干什么等现实问题，锻造对党忠诚的政治灵魂，筑牢拒腐防变的思想防线，在笃信、务实、担当、自律上带好头，懂法纪、明规矩、知敬畏，守住守好思想防线、用权底线、法纪红线、家风界线，永葆清正廉洁的政治本色，树立和践行正确政绩观，以忠诚干净担当的作风形象和实际行动，扛起党和人民赋予的历史重任。全军要更加紧密地团结在以习近平同志为核心的党中央周围，坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，深入贯彻习近平强军思想，深入贯彻新时代军事战略方针，深刻领悟“两个确立”的决定性意义，增强“四个意识”、坚定“四个自信”、做到“两个维护”，贯彻军委主席负责制，始终忠诚核心、拥戴核心、维护核心、捍卫核心。要深刻理解强军首先要在政治上强，政治上强是最根本的强，充分认清反腐败斗争的光明前景，强化反腐必胜、强军必成的信念信心，巩固零容忍、严惩处的高压态势，一体推进不敢腐不能腐不想腐，坚决打赢军队反腐败斗争攻坚战持久战总体战。要坚持好、运用好、发展好政治建军这个重要法宝，开展思想整风，深化政治整训，加强我军干部队伍革命性锻造，恢复和弘扬我党我军优良传统，确保人民军队永葆性质宗旨、始终敢打必胜、始终团结奋斗、始终人才辈出、始终纯洁光荣、始终法纪严明，在党的旗帜下奋斗强军，以崭新政治面貌迎接建军一百周年。