China's military court sentenced two former Defence Ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, to death with a two-year reprieve on Thursday, according to state-run Xinhua news agency. The court convicted Wei of accepting bribes, while Li was convicted of both accepting and offering bribes.

Wei and Li, who worked under President Xi Jinping's watch, were expelled from the ruling Communist Party in 2024 and were former members of the Central Military Commission headed by Mr. Xi.

Both Wei and Li headed the People's Liberation Army's Rocket Force, established in 2015 as part of Xi’s military overhaul. Wei served as Defence Minister from 2018 to 2023, and Li briefly served as his successor.

The sentencing is part of President Xi's massive anti-corruption campaign, which has punished over a million officials, including several generals, since he came to power in 2012.

The Chinese government has not commented on the next steps following the sentencing, but the court's ruling is expected to be carried out according to Chinese law, with the possibility of commutation or reduction of sentence after the two-year reprieve period.