BEIJING - China’s military emphasised its intent to crack down on corruption in 2024 as turmoil continues to ripple through the upper echelons of the world’s largest armed forces.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily mentioned “corruption” three times in its editorial on Jan 1, more than in any other years since President Xi Jinping began his crusade against graft in 2012.

The word was mentioned only once in each of the annual articles from 2017 to 2023, and twice in 2015 and 2016.

The PLA will continue fighting the “difficult and protracted war on graft”, the newspaper declared.

In the past year, “we have deepened the cleanup of the management of key industries and fields, and persevered to correct conduct, tighten discipline and fight corruption”, the PLA Daily wrote. 

The statement comes as the defence sector has been rocked by a series of abrupt personnel changes in the past year.

China’s defence minister and two rocket force generals were replaced without explanation, while top political bodies have booted 12 senior military figures in the past week. BLOOMBERG