Xi Jinping is obsessed with political loyalty in the PLA

In a scenePLAPLA halfway through “Skyfighters”, produced in 2011 by the ’s August First Film Studio, an air-force division commander wants to conduct a night exercise to simulate combat conditions. His young deputy disagrees, citing bad visibility. Besides, the pilots are getting some rest (mostly at a bar shaped like a fighter jet where no one seems to drink anything but coffee and fruit juice).As tempers flare, a third officer intervenes. This is the political commissar, whose job it is to maintain the Communist Party’s control of the . “Don’t quarrel!” he barks. Then he orders a compromise: They should practise getting ready to take off but should not actually fly. The division commander defers with a slight bow. “What an excellent troop,” he says after the drill. “It really has the invincible spirit of rejoicing at war and daring to fight and win.”