The Chinese Communist Party formally has expelled two former defense ministers who had earlier been dismissed from their posts and for revealed that financial corruption was the reason they were fired, state media reported Thursday.

Gen. Li Shangfu and Gen. Wei Fenghe lost their party memberships as a result of what the official Xinhua News Agency said were serious violations of party discipline and law.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also general-secretary, has embarked on a widespread purge of rivals and officials in recent years as he has concentrated power. Party expulsion in China is normally the first step in further punishment that in the past has involved imprisonment or execution based on the extent of financial crimes.

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Gen. Li, who was also a member of the powerful Central Military Commission, was charged with seeking “improper benefits” and accepting “a huge amount of money and valuables in return.” He also was suspected of “taking bribes” and offering money to obtain benefits.

He was defense minister from September 2017 to October 2023, when he disappeared suddenly from public view with no official explanation.

The investigation into his activities began in August 2023, Xinhua stated.

Both generals were ousted in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign by Mr. Xi, a campaign that has ensnared hundreds of party and government officials, including numerous high-ranking figures.

Former Foreign Minister Qin Gong disappeared from public view in June 2023 and a month later was replaced. Months later, he was removed as a state councilor amid reports of an extramarital affair.

Gen. Li was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party for having “betrayed” party principles and for having “severely contaminated the political environment of the equipment sector in the military.”

He was in charge of the PLA equipment development department from 2017 to 2022. The department is in charge of arms procurement.

Gen. Wei, another onetime member of the Central Military Commission, was expelled for violations of party discipline for accepting money and gifts.

“Wei took advantage of his posts to seek benefits for others, accepting a huge amount of money and valuables in return, constituting the suspected crime of taking bribes,” Xinhua stated.

Gen. Wei, who was the immediate predecessor of Gen. Li as defense minister, also was accused of losing “his faith and loyalty” to the party and the People’s Liberation Army, the official news outlet said.

Gen. Wei was one time the commander of the PLA Rocket Forces that was targeted in a corruption probe by military authorities.

The violations were described as “extremely serious” causing “a highly detrimental impact and tremendous harm.”

The CCP Political Bureau referred the cases of both Gen. Li and Gen. Wei case to military prosecutors.

The annual threat assessment produced by the office of Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines stated that corruption in the Chinese military is hurting its war-fighting ability. In December, nine PLA generals, including current and former Rocket Force commanders, and a number of officials from the equipment development department, were fired.

Several years ago, two former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Gens. Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong were fired for corruption.

The assessment stated that Chinese leaders “almost certainly are concerned about the ongoing impact of corruption on the military’s capabilities and reliability, judging from a purge of high-level officers including the defense minister in 2023.”