Chinese President Xi Jinping Urges Acceleration of Anti-Corruption Campaign Within the Military

August 1, Kathmandu – Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on senior leaders of the ruling Communist Party to intensify the fight against corruption within the military and to promote modernization in the national security sector. The state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday about these remarks.

During a collective meeting of China’s top decision-making body, the Politburo, President Xi emphasized, “The gun barrel must always obey the party’s command.” According to Xinhua, he urged the establishment of an intelligent military system by widely applying unmanned technology and cyber information systems.

He stated, “The primary orientation and evaluation criteria for advancing the modernization of national security and the armed forces with high standards must focus on combat capability.” These comments from the president were made ahead of the 99th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army.

Some defense analysts and military experts have suggested that this commemoration is expected to be less confrontational. However, it will underscore the Communist Party’s emphasis on further progress in military modernization and war preparedness during this centennial year. A February report from the London-based think tank Independent Institute of Strategic Studies highlighted that anti-corruption efforts within the military have hindered war readiness and exposed serious weaknesses in the command structure.

Last year, the United States Department of Defense issued a statement expressing belief that the U.S. military aims to prepare its forces to win any potential conflict over Taiwan by 2027, according to intelligence assessments. However, according to the U.S. intelligence community’s latest evaluation, Beijing currently has no plan to launch an attack on Taiwan by 2027. China intends to assert control over the island without using force.

China regards democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never abandoned the option of using force to take control. Therefore, it regularly deploys military ships and aircraft around the island daily.