Rumors Say He Weidong and He Hongjun Are Still Alive but Under 24-Hour Surveillance—A Fate Worse Than Death

On March 4, 2025, He Weidong attended the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. (Photo credit: Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images)

[People News] He Weidong, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Chinese Communist Party, has been missing for four months, and officials have yet to disclose any information about his status. Independent commentator Cai Shenkun had previously claimed that both He Weidong and He Hongjun (Executive Deputy Director of the CMC Political Work Department) had committed suicide. However, on July 25, he corrected that information on his YouTube program, revealing that new sources say the “two Hes” are still alive, though under 24-hour surveillance.

Cai stated that he received an update that morning from sources within China claiming that some members of the military recently saw both He Weidong and He Hongjun. They are reportedly alive but under house arrest and still under investigation, currently being interrogated and forced to confess. Given their circumstances, even if they wanted to end their own lives, it would be very difficult. Since the Zhang Yang incident, the military has imposed strict suicide prevention measures on fallen generals. According to reports, both He Weidong and He Hongjun are being monitored around the clock, leaving them no opportunity to take their own lives.

Cai also acknowledged he cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information but speculated that He Weidong’s case will likely be formally addressed at the upcoming Fourth Plenary Session.

Just two days prior, Cai Shenkun revealed from another source that disgraced official Miao Hua has been labelled part of an “anti-Party group.” Cai analyzed that at such a high level, corruption is inevitable. All senior military officials are ultimately brought down under the pretext of corruption. Even if Miao Hua is branded part of an anti-Party clique, he will still be charged with corruption-related crimes.

Since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, high-level Chinese military officials have frequently “fallen.” In 2014, two former Vice Chairmen of the CMC from the Hu Jintao era, Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, were both purged. In 2017, CMC Political Work Department head Zhang Yang died by suicide at home while under investigation. That same year, CMC Joint Staff Department Chief Fang Fenghui was also ousted. In 2023, the entire Rocket Force command structure was “wiped out,” followed by the expulsion of two consecutive defense ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu. Now with Miao Hua and He Weidong also implicated, the downfall of so many powerful generals is staggering.

Zhang Yang, under investigation for connections to Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, was accused of bribery and possessing unexplained wealth. After his fall, Miao Hua succeeded him as head of the CMC Political Work Department. But Miao continued the same pattern of corruption—both predecessors and successors proving to be "two-faced" individuals.

As for He Weidong, who was appointed Vice Chairman of the CMC in October 2022, the exact reasons for his downfall remain officially undisclosed. But it is clear his situation is dire. On April 10, the Financial Times reported, citing six informed sources, that He had been dismissed. One insider revealed that He Weidong had been under interrogation since his detention.

In late May, Australia-based legal scholar Yuan Hongbing quoted insiders within the CCP system, stating that the military often subjects uncooperative “tigers” (high-ranking corrupt officers) to even more brutal and secretive torture than those in civilian sectors. According to various reports, these tortures include: simultaneous electric shocks from multiple batons, tiger bench (a painful stress position), severe beatings, branding with red-hot irons, “flying an airplane” (a torture posture), dismemberment, sonic attacks on the nervous system, toxic injections, confinement in psychiatric hospitals, and more. In light of these accounts, even if the “two Hes” are not dead, they may well be enduring a fate worse than death.

(Originally published by People News) △