BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping said there were “deep-seated problems” in the Chinese military’s politics, ideology, work style and discipline, state-run CCTV reported on Wednesday, amid an ongoing military anti-corruption purge.

“There must be no hiding place for corrupt elements in the army,” Xi was quoted as saying at a military political work conference this week in the northwestern city of Yanan, the founding stronghold of the Chinese Communist Party.

“Cadres at all levels, especially senior cadres, must show up, and have the courage to put aside their prestige and expose their shortcomings. They must deeply self-reflect ... make earnest rectifications, resolve problems at the root of their thinking.” The political tests currently faced by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are “intricate and complex” and the national situation, party situation and military situation are “all undergoing complex and profound changes”, Xi said in a keynote speech to military cadres, including Zhang Youxia and He Weidong, the second and third-in-command of the PLA.

Xi also vowed to “enrich the toolbox for punishing new types of corruption and hidden corruption” and to strengthen the supervision of senior cadres.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2024