National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People, China.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Beijing: In a major purge of the Chinese military, nine senior generals of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), including senior officials of the country’s Rocket Force, have been dismissed from China’s Parliament, official media reported on Saturday.
Those dismissed from the National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s Parliament, include five past or current top commanders of the PLA Rocket Force, which handles the missiles division and a key component of the country’s nuclear arsenal besides a former Air Force commander, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The report carried the announcement of the Standing Committee of the NPC.
No reason for their disqualification has been mentioned.
A substantial number of members of the Chinese military who formed part of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) are appointed to the NPC.
Their dismissals came after the NPC appointed former naval commander General Dong Jun as the new defence minister, two months after the summary dismissal of General Li Shangfu without any explanation.