Xi vows crackdown on corruption in military

Critics claim the crackdown is tool to purge political rivals

BEIJING:

China’s President Xi Jinping has vowed to boost his crackdown on corruption and enhance loyalty within the armed forces, state media reported Wednesday.

Xi has waged an unrelenting crackdown on deep-seated corruption since coming to power a decade ago, a campaign critics say is a tool to purge political rivals.

China’s former defence minister Li Shangfu was sacked abruptly last year in unexplained circumstances and replaced weeks later by the incumbent Dong Jun.

Xi addressed China’s top brass on Monday at a meeting of the Central Military Commission in the northwestern city of Yan’an, state broadcaster CCTV said.