As the Chinese military has purged nine high-ranking officials, including He Weidong, the former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission and once third in the official hierarchy, the names of Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, both former Vice Chairmen of the Central Military Commission and representative cases of Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign, have appeared in a military publication.
On October 18, the Chinese military’s official newspaper, PLA Daily, commented on the announcement of the high-level purge in an editorial titled “Let Us Resolutely Carry the Military’s Anti-Corruption Struggle to the End.” The editorial stated, “The Central Committee of the Communist Party and the Central Military Commission have once again demonstrated their unwavering determination to pursue the anti-corruption struggle to the end.” It further added, “All officers and soldiers of the entire military and the armed police forces will resolutely support the decisions of the Party Central Committee and firmly obey the leadership of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and President Xi.”
The PLA Daily emphasized, “Corruption is the greatest threat facing our Party, and anti-corruption is a thorough self-revolution.” It continued, “The corruption issues involving He Weidong, Miao Hua, He Hongjun, and others are the result of the toxic influence of Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, which has fermented and mutated. The current anti-corruption struggle is a continuation of the rectification and anti-corruption efforts since the 18th Party Congress and a deepening of the reconstruction of the People’s Liberation Army.”
Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, who served as Vice Chairmen of the Central Military Commission during the presidency of Hu Jintao, both fell from power in 2014 and 2015 after being implicated in corruption scandals following President Xi Jinping’s rise to power.
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