Xi Jinping is struggling to stamp out graft in the PLA

Most onlinePLAPLA commentators in China support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the same time they criticise Russia’s failure to achieve a swift victory. They accuse the West of prolonging the conflict by supporting Ukraine’s army, but also fault Russia for its military weakness. Corruption has crippled its fighting ability, they often conclude, despite all its spending in recent years on better kit. It is taboo in China to cast aspersions on the war-readiness of the People’s Liberation Army (). But amid reports that it is also struggling with graft as it splurges on new weaponry, there may be good reason for it, too, to worry.China gives little detail of corruption in its armed forces, beyond—occasionally—highlighting a few egregious cases. It has offered no explanation for a purge of generals that began months ago and is widely believed to involve dishonest dealings. On January 10th a three-day annual meeting in Beijing of anti-corruption chiefs ended as usual with no public mention of military matters, such as the ousting last year of the defence minister, General Li Shangfu. He has not been seen in public since August (it was not until December that his successor, Admiral Dong Jun, was named). Yet this appears to be the biggest graft-related shake-up in the in years.