China’s President Xi Jinping has called for stricter political loyalty within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as Beijing expands a sweeping anti-corruption campaign targeting senior military officials.
Speaking at a plenary meeting of the PLA and People’s Armed Police Force delegation during China’s annual “Two Sessions” political gatherings, Xi said the armed forces must remain firmly loyal to the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and warned there should be “no hiding place for corrupt individuals”.
“There must be no one in the military who harbors disloyalty to the (ruling Communist) Party,” Xi said in remarks published by the official Xinhua News Agency.
“There must be no hiding place for corrupt individuals,” Xi was cited by Xinhua as saying on Saturday. “The fight against corruption must be resolutely pushed forward.”
The campaign, ongoing for more than a decade, has increasingly focused on the military as Xi seeks to strengthen control and modernise China’s armed forces.
Key developments:
• China’s National People’s Congress dismissed nine military officers, including two linked to the Central Military Commission.
• Three generals were also removed from China’s top political advisory body this week.
• Beijing announced a 7% increase in the 2026 defence budget, bringing spending to around 1.9 trillion yuan ($270bn).
ℹ️ AP News
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