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Chinese President Xi Jinping today urged senior military officials to abandon any “air of superiority” and remain faithful to their role as “revolutionary servants,” amid ongoing purges within China’s military leadership.
Xi made the remarks during the opening ceremony of a training session for top military officials at the National Defense University in Beijing.
The president, who also chairs the Central Military Commission—the highest military body overseeing the People’s Liberation Army—emphasized the importance of ideological discipline.
According to remarks cited by Xinhua News Agency, Xi said that membership in the military and the Chinese Communist Party requires firm belief in Marxism and loyalty to the Party. He called on military leaders to “lead by example,” actively participate in internal political activities, and “speak the truth.”
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Xi warned that actions driven by personal interest or corruption are “completely incompatible” with the Party’s principles, stressing that all must be equal before the law, with “no exceptions or special treatment.”
His comments come after months of dismissals and disciplinary investigations targeting senior figures in China’s military establishment, including former defense ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, as well as former vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission and senior officials from the Rocket Force and Joint Staff Department.
The developments also coincide with China’s announcement last month of a 7% increase in its 2026 defense budget, slightly below the 7.2% growth recorded in each of the previous three years.
