In a landmark ruling, former Chinese defence ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for serious corruption charges, including bribery. This decision, reported by China's state-run Xinhua news agency, underscores the intensifying anti-corruption campaign initiated by President Xi Jinping in 2012, which has seen thousands of officials investigated. The court deemed their crimes to have caused 'exceptionally detrimental harm' to the military and the Communist Party. Under Chinese law, a death sentence with a reprieve typically allows for commutation to life imprisonment if no further crimes are committed within two years. However, in this case, both men will face life imprisonment without parole, alongside the forfeiture of their political rights and personal assets. Li Shangfu, who served as defence minister for just seven months, is notable for being the shortest-serving in modern history. The investigations into both ministers began in June 2024, leading to their expulsion from the Communist Party, marking one of the most severe actions against high-ranking military officials in recent years.