China's Xi calls for political loyalty in the military as anti-corruption purge widens

BEIJING — China's President Xi Jinping 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.

“There must be no one in the military who harbors disloyalty to the (ruling Communist) Party,” Xi said in remarks published by the official Xinhua News Agency.

Xi was speaking at a plenary meeting of the delegation of China’s People’s Liberation Army and People’s Armed Police Force as China holds its annual “two sessions” meetings of its top legislature and its top political advisory body.

An anti-corruption campaign launched by Xi shows no sign of letting up after more than a decade. The military has been targeted in recent years, including the removal of its top general last month, as Xi seeks to reform and modernize the armed forces.

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 National People’s Congress last week dismissed nine military officers, including two under the Central Military Commission, the military’s highest body, as well as others from the army, the navy, the air force and the rocket force. Three generals were this week removed from China's top political advisory body.

“There must be no hiding place for corrupt individuals,” Xi was cited by Xinhua as saying on Saturday. “The fight against corruption must be resolutely pushed forward.”

Chinese leaders this week also pledged a 7% defense budget growth for this year to about 1.9 trillion yuan ($270 billion), slightly lower than the about 7.2% annual increase over the last three years.