Xi Jinping Affirms Commitment To Fight Corruption In China's Military

Chinese President Xi Jinping (DOC ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the need to uphold discipline and fight corruption in the military, as well as increase the ability to fight information.

Since last year, the Chinese military has carried out massive cleaning of anti-corruption efforts, with at least nine generals of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and several defense industry executives removed from the national legislature.

"It is important to enforce strict discipline and take action against corruption to ensure the military remains loyal, pure and reliable," Xi said.

His remarks came after the defense ministry said last week a top military official had been suspended and was being investigated for "serious disciplinary violations".

Xi conducted his first inspection of the new military information warfare department, founded in April, which reports directly to the ruling Central Military Commission.

As part of the largest restructuring of the Chinese armed forces since 2015, this new unit shows the increasing focus of the Communist Party's leadership on the modernization of the military and the form of non-conventional warfare.

"The status and role of network information systems in modern warfare is very prominent to an unprecedented level," Xi said, according to a CCTV report.

The People's Liberation Army Information Support Force, the designation for this new unit, is the first and foremost fight force'.

Previously the troops were part of the PLA Strategic Support Force, which combines cyber, information, and space warfare units, this new force is tasked with protecting China's military information system from cyber and electronic warfare attacks.