The Communist Party of China on Thursday said it expelled two former defence ministers for "serious violation of party discipline and the law".

The two are Wei Fenghe and his successor Li Shangfu, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Both Wei and Li formerly served as members of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and as state councillors, and were deprived of their qualifications as delegates to the 20th CPC National Congress.

The CMC's disciplinary and supervisory agency launched an investigation against Wei on September 21, 2023, and Li on August 31 of the same year.

According to the results of the investigations, they were both found to have seriously violated political and organisational discipline.

Xinhua reported Wei had "helped others gain improper benefits in personnel arrangements and also seriously violated discipline regarding integrity, accepting money and gifts in violation of relevant rules."

It added: "As a high-ranking official of the party and the military, Wei lost his faith and loyalty. His actions failed the trust of the Party Central Committee and the CMC, and severely contaminated the political environment of the military, bringing enormous damage to the party's cause, the development of national defence and the armed forces as well as the image of senior officials."

And Li had "sought improper benefits in personnel arrangements for himself and others, took advantage of his posts to seek benefits for others and accepted a huge amount of money and valuables in return", Xinhua reported.

"Li betrayed the party's original aspirations and its principles. His actions failed the trust of the Party Central Committee and the CMC, and severely contaminated the political environment of the equipment sector in the military and the ethics of relevant industries," according to Xinhua.