Following a reshuffle at a Communist Party conclave that endorsed continuing China’s military anti-corruption drive, the mouthpiece of the People’s Liberation Army said on Friday that political loyalty and fighting corruption were crucial for winning wars.
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At the fourth plenum of the party’s Central Committee, which concluded on Thursday, the military’s anti-corruption chief Zhang Shengmin was promoted to vice-chair of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) headed by President Xi Jinping.
Party leaders also endorsed the decision to expel nine generals from the Central Committee, including Zhang’s predecessor, He Weidong.
The PLA Daily hailed these changes in an editorial, adding that the anti-corruption drive would continue and help boost war-readiness.
“The army holds the gun barrel [for the party], and it must not be a hiding place for corrupt elements,” the editorial said.
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It called for political indoctrination to be implemented and for the PLA to adhere to political guidance when carrying out China’s military modernisation, accelerating the development of “advanced combat capabilities” and promoting the modernisation of military governance.