He Weidong

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = 何卫东上将2024.jpg

| caption =

| office = Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission

| term_start = State Commission:
11 March 2023 – 27 March 2025
Party Commission:
23 October 2022

| term_end = 27 March 2025

| alongside = Zhang Youxia

| 1blankname = {{nowrap|Chairman}}

| 1namedata = Xi Jinping

| predecessor = Xu Qiliang

| successor =

| office1 = Commander of the Eastern Theater Command

| term_start1 = December 2019

| term_end1 = January 2022

| predecessor1 = Liu Yuejun

| successor1 = Lin Xiangyang

| office2 = Commander of the Western Theater Command Ground Force

| term_start2 = February 2016

| term_end2 = December 2019

| predecessor2 = New title

| successor2 = Xu Qiling

| office3 = Commander of the Shanghai Garrison Command

| term_start3 = March 2014

| term_end3 = February 2016

| predecessor3 = Peng Shuigen

| successor3 = Zhang Xiaoming

| office4 = Commander of the Jiangsu Military District

| term_start4 = July 2013

| term_end4 = March 2014

| predecessor4 = Sun Xinliang

| successor4 = Li Kerang

| name = He Weidong

| native_name = {{nobold|何卫东}}

| native_name_lang = zh

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1957|05}}

| birth_place = Nanping, Fujian, China

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Chinese Communist Party

| spouse =

| children =

| parents =

| relations =

| religion =

| alma_mater = PLA Nanjing Army Command College
National University of Defense Technology

| website =

| nickname =

| allegiance = {{flag|People's Republic of China}}

| branch = {{Army|China}}

| serviceyears = 1972–2025

| rank = 50px General

| unit =

| commands = Eastern Theater Command

| battles =

| mawards =

| module = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes

| s = {{linktext|何|卫|东}}

| t = {{linktext|何|衛|東}}

| p = Hé Wèidōng

}}

He Weidong ({{lang-zh|s=何卫东}}; born May 1957) is a general (shangjiang) of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) who served as the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission from March 2023 till his removal in March 2025, and member of the 20th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party from March 2023 till March 2025.

He served as commander of the Eastern Theater Command from 2019 to 2022. He was promoted to the rank of major general (shaojiang) in July 2008, lieutenant general (zhongjiang) in July 2017 and general (shangjiang) in December 2019.

Education

He was born in Nanping, Fujian, with ancestry was in the town of Xuhe, in Dongtai, Jiangsu in May 1957. In 1981 he graduated from PLA Nanjing Army Command College. In 2001 he entered the National University of Defense Technology.{{cite web | title=新晋上将何卫东任东部战区司令、李凤彪任战略支援部队司令 | website=司令员_新浪财经_新浪网 | date=2019-12-12 | url=https://finance.sina.com.cn/wm/2019-12-12/doc-iihnzahi7108632.shtml | language=zh | access-date=2025-04-10}}

Military career

He enlisted in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in December 1972 after middle school. He was Commander of Jiangsu Military District in July 2013 and Shanghai Garrison Command in March 2014. In February 2015 he succeeded Zhu Shengling as a member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.{{cite news|author1=Yang Lina ({{lang|zh|杨丽娜}})|author2=Chang Xuemei ({{lang|zh|常雪梅}})|url=http://renshi.people.com.cn/n/2015/0213/c139617-26564240.html |script-title=zh:上海警备区司令员何卫东任上海市委委员、常委 |work=people.com.cn |date=13 February 2015 |accessdate=13 December 2019 |language=zh}} In July 2016 he was transferred to Deputy Commander of the Western Theater Command and Commander of the Western Theater Command Ground Force.{{cite news|author1=Yue Huairang ({{lang|zh|岳怀让}})|url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1495519 |script-title=zh:上海警备区原司令员何卫东少将升任西部战区陆军司令员 |work=thepaper |date=8 July 2016 |accessdate=13 December 2019 |language=zh}} On February 24, 2018, he was elected as a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress.{{cite web | title= （受权发布）中华人民共和国第十三届全国人民代表大会代表名单 | website=China News Service| date=2018-02-25 | url=https://www.chinanews.com/gn/2018/02-25/8453959.shtml | language=zh | access-date=2025-04-12}} In September 2019, he was promoted to become Commander of the Eastern Theater Command, replacing Liu Yuejun.{{cite news|url=http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/china/2019-12-13/doc-iihnzahi7183741.shtml |script-title=zh:7人晋升上将军衔何卫东升任东部战区司令(图) |work=sina.com.cn |date=13 December 2019 |accessdate=13 December 2019 |language=zh}}{{cite news|author1=Yu Hui ({{lang|zh|余辉}})|url=http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/china/2022-03-18/doc-imcwipih9274570.shtml?ivk_sa=1023197a |script-title=zh:将军履新！中部战区原司令员上将林向阳重回东部战区 |work=sina |date=18 March 2022 |access-date=19 March 2022 |language=zh}}

= Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission =

In October 2022, Zhang was named as a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party and the second-ranking vice chairman of the CCP Central Military Commission. He also became the vice chairman of the state CMC in March 2023.{{Cite book |url=https://media.defense.gov/2022/Nov/29/2003122279/-1/-1/1/2022-MILITARY-AND-SECURITY-DEVELOPMENTS-INVOLVING-THE-PEOPLES-REPUBLIC-OF-CHINA.PDF |title=Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2022 |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |year=2022 |location=Arlington, VA |pages=42}}{{Cite web |last=Hart |first=Brian |date=2022-10-12 |title=How Did the 20th Party Congress Impact China's Military? |url=https://chinapower.csis.org/20th-party-congress-china-military-pla-cmc/ |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=ChinaPower Project |language=en-US}}

In January 2024, at the annual meeting of the disciplinary inspectors of the PLA, He said the military should "adhere to a strict tone, use stricter standards to scrutinize the key few, and show determination to get to the bottom of long-standing [corruption] problems". He also called on the CMC Commission for Discipline Inspection to maintain loyalty and support to CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping.{{Cite news |last=Zheng |first=William |date=13 January 2024 |title=China’s military graft-busters told to ‘scrutinise the key few’ powerful officials |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3248319/chinas-military-graft-busters-told-scrutinise-key-few-powerful-officials |access-date=19 December 2024 |work=South China Morning Post}} In March, during a discussion with a PLA delegation, He called on crackdowns on "fake combat capabilities".{{Cite news |last=Wang |first=Amber |date=9 March 2024 |title=Chinese general calls for crackdown on ‘fake combat capabilities’ in the military |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3254722/chinese-general-calls-crackdown-fake-combat-capabilities-military |access-date=19 December 2024 |work=South China Morning Post}}

In April 2025, the Financial Times reported that He had been arrested, placed under anti-corruption investigations and was removed from his post as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.{{Cite news |last=Sevastopulo |first=Demetri |date=2025-04-10 |title=Top Chinese general removed in latest Xi Jinping purge |url=https://www.ft.com/content/8226e1d9-2e4a-4079-8f3c-2ae877ba5ba9 |access-date=2025-04-10 |work=Financial Times}}https://www.newsweek.com/china-arrests-top-military-official-he-weidong-xi-jinping-loyalist-2045818 At the funeral of the former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xu Qiliang on 7 June 2025, He's wreath was not present at the funeral, sparking speculation on whether he was removed from his post.{{cite web|url=https://www.singtao.ca/7175540/2025-06-08/news-%E8%BB%8D%E5%A7%94%E5%89%AF%E4%B8%BB%E5%B8%AD%E8%A8%B1%E5%85%B6%E4%BA%AE%E5%91%8A%E5%88%A5%E5%BC%8F%E8%88%89%E8%A1%8C++%E4%BD%95%E8%A1%9B%E6%9D%B1%E6%9C%AA%E9%80%81%E8%8A%B1%E5%9C%88/?variant=zh-cn|title=前军委副主席许其亮告别式举行何卫东未送花圈|newspaper=Sing Tao|date=2025-06-08|access-date=2025-06-09}}