Xi Jinping tells top PLA leaders they must eliminate ‘conditions that breed corruption’

Emphasising loyalty, Chinese leader gives address at a political work conference of the Central Military Commission that he initiated

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Chinese leader Xi Jinping speaks to the Central Military Commission on Monday in Yanan, in northwest China’s Shaanxi province. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 10:00am, 20 Jun 2024Updated: 6:53pm, 20 Jun 2024

The People’s Liberation Army must show absolute loyalty to the Communist Party and there can be no room for corruption in the military, President Xi Jinping told top PLA brass this week.

“We must make it clear that the barrels of guns must always be in the hands of those who are loyal and dependable to the party … And we must make it clear that there is no place for any corrupt elements in the military,” Xi was quoted by state media as saying.

Xi spoke on Monday in Yanan, in northwest Shaanxi province, at a political work conference of the Central Military Commission (CMC) with key officials and political commissars of the military, state news agency Xinhua reported. The appearance came before next month’s Third Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, which is expected to lay out China’s reform and economic priorities for the next few years.

The Xinhua report highlighted that the conference was initiated by Xi, who is the chairman of the CMC – the top decision-making body of the PLA.

Xi’s speech, which covered a range of issues from global geopolitical challenges to the PLA’s modernisation, mirrored a similar one he gave a decade ago in Gutian, Fujian province, that heralded an overhaul of the PLA and acceleration of its modernisation drive.

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