Xi calls for removing 'bad elements' from Chinese military

Winning or losing public support is an issue that concerns the survival of the ruling Communist Party, President Xi Jinping has said, seeking to eliminate 'bad elements' such as formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance from China's powerful military.
Xi, also the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), has instructed the PLA to implement a "mass line" campaign as part of efforts to build a strong military with enhanced combat capabilities and war preparedness.
The campaign should target serious problems reported by officers and soldiers and result in the formation of a long-term mechanism to guarantee the building of a strong military, President Xi Jinping has instructed.

Called the "mass line", the campaign refers to a guideline under which the CPC is required to "prioritise the interests of the people and persist in exercising power for them", state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.
Xi said on Tuesday that bad elements such as formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance should be firmly opposed, adding that that winning or losing public support is an issue that concerns the CPC's survival.
CPC has monopolised political power since 1949 when the People's Republic was founded.

Xi's instructions were echoed by Fan Changlong, vice chairman of the CMC, at a PLA conference held here today, who said that the campaign should focus on enhancing the PLA's combat capabilities and war preparedness.

Fan called for creating specific regulations concerning official receptions, the management of military vehicles, use of personnel and resources management.
Another CMC's vice chairman Xu Qiliang said the military must maintain firm beliefs and be absolutely loyal, pure and reliable.
The military should always follow the CPC's instructions and serve the people, he said at the conference.
Meanwhile, China's military said it will also survey all the construction projects and real-estate holdings of the world's largest army with over 2.3 million personnel to bring about accountability, forced to shun luxury banquets and wasteful expenditure.
Zhao vowed to shift the army's construction work to being more scientific and to optimise resources, the PLA Daily, the official organ of the military quoted Zhao Keshi, head of the General Logistics Department of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) as saying.

Zhao called for comprehensive examinations of all construction projects and real estate holdings, and for the creation of standard systems for project examinations and approvals, land transfers, housing rentals and accountability, state run Xinhua reported.