China's President Xi Jinping Orders Military Purge, Demands Absolute Loyalty, Intensifies Anti-Corruption Probe
Key Takeaways
- Leader demands absolute political loyalty within the military, forbidding any disloyal personnel.
- Widened military purge removes or investigates officers across the armed forces.
- Intensified anti-corruption probe expressly targets military officials, demanded to be pushed forward.
Purge and loyalty demand
China's President Xi Jinping has demanded absolute political loyalty within the military and ordered an expanded purge, directly tying the drive to a renewed anti-corruption push.
“China's President on Saturday said political loyalty in the military must be ensured and called for resolutely pushing forward the fight against corruption as a military purge widened”
Xi said “There must be no one in the military who harbors disloyalty to the (ruling Communist) Party,” and he “called for resolutely pushing forward the fight against corruption as a military purge widened,” remarks published by Xinhua indicated.
He made the comments while addressing a plenary meeting of the delegation of China’s People’s Liberation Army and People’s Armed Police Force amid the annual “two sessions” gatherings of the country’s top legislature and political advisory body.
Long-running anti-corruption
The purge is the latest phase of an anti-corruption campaign that, according to reporting, “shows no sign of letting up after more than a decade.”
The campaign has increasingly targeted the armed forces in recent years, with the military “targeted in recent years, including the removal of its top general last month,” a move presented both as discipline and as part of broader efforts to remake the security services.
Dismissals and removals
Recent personnel actions underscore the scope of the purge: the National People’s Congress “last week dismissed nine military officers, including two under the Central Military Commission, the military's highest body,” and reporting noted that “Three generals were this week removed from China's top political advisory body.”
“China's President on Saturday said political loyalty in the military must be ensured and called for resolutely pushing forward the fight against corruption as a military purge widened”
These dismissals span services — army, navy, air force and rocket force — indicating a cross-branch effort to reshape command.
Reform or consolidation?
Officials frame some actions as part of Xi’s stated goal “to reform and modernize the armed forces,” but analysts quoted in the reporting contend the anti-corruption drive also functions politically.
“Analysts say the campaign is also a way for Xi, who is in his 14th year in power, to remove potential rivals and ensure absolute loyalty among his subordinates,” the coverage observed.
Political implications
Taken together, the reporting portrays a sustained, cross-institutional effort that blends anti-corruption rhetoric, military restructuring and political control at a time when Xi continues to consolidate power.
“China's President on Saturday said political loyalty in the military must be ensured and called for resolutely pushing forward the fight against corruption as a military purge widened”
The venue — a plenary meeting tied to the high-profile “two sessions” — and the simultaneous dismissals in both military ranks and advisory bodies signal the broad reach of the campaign.
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