Although some believe that Xi Jinping’s recent consultation with retired Party leaders on the current leadership’s anti-graft campaign is a sign that incumbents lack the political will to push through reforms in the face of resistance from Party elders, China Real Time’s Russell Leigh Moses argues that renewed efforts to clean up corruption in the Chinese military suggest that Xi has Party elders on his side.
Apparently, Xi got the green light to go on, because as People’s Daily noted, “intense but orderly preparation work was then carried out to move forward” the anti-corruption struggle.
And here’s more evidence that Party elders agreed to stand aside for reform to advance: Xi and his comrades are now aiming to shake up the Chinese military—something they’d never do if retired leaders were resisting.
A new major directive from the preeminent Central Military Commission — a body chaired by Xi — insists that the country’s military leaders “take a clear stand against corruption, leading all to comply with the provisions of honesty and self-discipline, and never be self-serving, never engage in privilege, and to consciously accept [political] supervision”.
[…] On top of the directive, a stalled investigation into how much real estate the military has and what it’s been doing with it has now been restarted. [Source]
The removal of military license plates that began in April is one of Xi’s anti-corruption initiatives launched to crackdown graft within the armed forces. However, questions remain on whether Xi’s fight against corruption is for real.
