China's Xi urges military to curb corruption, ‘unhealthy tendencies’

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned the military must tackle corruption and "unhealthy tendencies", state media reported Tuesday, with Beijing deepening a crackdown on alleged graft in the armed forces in recent months.

Speaking to troops in central China's Hubei province, Xi said the army must "seriously investigate and deal with corruption and unhealthy tendencies among officers and soldiers," according to military-backed outlet PLA Daily.

Xi inspected weapons and was briefed at the headquarters of China's airborne forces, a unit under the People's Liberation Army Air Force, state media said.

"(We) must keep firmly in mind our duties and missions, increase our sense of war preparedness and tighten our preparations for military struggles," Xi told soldiers in Xiaogan city.

Xi has overseen a wide-ranging crackdown on official corruption since coming to power just over a decade ago -- which has spread to the military -- but critics have said it serves as a way to purge political rivals.

Last October, former defence minister Li Shangfu was ousted after seven months in the role following a lengthy absence from public view.

The Chinese navy on Monday also cautioned officers against online dating scams and gambling, warning troops to not let down their guards in a social media post directed at soldiers born in the 1990s and 2000s.

"Officers and soldiers should be vigilant at all times," it said in a post to its official WeChat account.

"Don't lose your principles."

In July, a top Chinese official in Beijing's secretive Rocket Force was placed under investigation for corruption.

Sun Jinming was kicked out of the ruling Communist Party and placed under investigation for "grave violations of party discipline and laws", state news agency Xinhua said at the time, using a common euphemism for graft.

At least two other high-ranking officers connected to the Rocket Force, a relatively new unit of the Chinese military, have also been axed for graft in recent years.

The Rocket Force oversees China's arsenal of strategic missiles, both conventional and nuclear, and can both deter and strike, according to the government.