BEIJING:  , President Xi Jinping said the military should” combat corruption” and focus on its capacity to “win wars”, state media reported on Thursday ( Dec 5 ), as Beijing reinforces its clampdown on graft in the armed forces.
Since taking office just over ten years ago, Xi has spearheaded a broad campaign against established fraud, with some saying it even purges political rivals.
The People’s Liberation Army ( PLA ) has recently appeared to have been the subject of efforts, with top official Miao Hua joining a number of senior figures who will leave their positions in just over a year.
Speaking to forces from the PLA’s Information Support Force on Wednesday, Xi said the government may “rigorously maintain control”, according to state broadcaster Video.
The military should” combat corruption to ensure the absolute loyalty, purity, and reliability of the force”, Xi told the soldiers.
The creation of the Information Support Force was announced in April, with analysts seeing it as a reform of the PLA’s running of its cyber, information, logistics and space operations.
Xi told the troops on Wednesday that it needed to “focus on capabilities to fight and win wars.”