Wei Fenghe

Wei Fenghe (Chinese: 魏凤和; pinyin: Wèi Fènghé; born February 1954) is a former Chinese general (shang jiang) in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) who served as commander of the PLA Rocket Force, formerly known as the Second Artillery Corps. From 2018 to 2023, he was the Minister of National Defense, the first to have not come from the PLA Ground Forces and the first-ranked State Councilor from March 2018 to March 2023, and also the first-ranked ordinary Member of the Central Military Commission (CMC). In September 2023, Wei was investigated by the CMC's disciplinary inspection department for charges of corruption. In June 2024, he was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and his case transferred to the military judiciary for criminal prosecution, and his rank of General in the Rocket Force revoked. In May 2026, Wei was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, which will be commuted to life imprisonment upon the expiration of the two-year reprieve period without the possibility of parole.