China's military must not let down those who gave their lives for the Communist Party in the revolutionary struggle and must resolutely fight corruption, Xinhua News Agency on Saturday quoted President Xi Jinping as saying after a high-level scandal.

Xi has made weeding out corruption in the armed forces a top goal. This week, the government said one of China's most senior former military officers, Xu Caihou, had confessed to taking "massive" bribes in exchange for help in promotions.

Xu retired as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission - which Xi heads and which controls the country's 2.3 million-strong armed forces - last year and from the Party's decision-making Politburo in 2012.

During a top-level two-day military meeting at an old revolutionary base in the southeastern province of Fujian that started on Thursday, Xi said the armed forces needed to "deeply reflect on the lessons and thoroughly banish the influence" of Xu's case.

"We must face up to the outstanding issues that face us in building up the military, especially in our political thinking," Xinhua cited Xi as saying.

The military has problems with poor management of its officers, especially with making sure they behave properly, he said.

The armed services must "return to and make full use of their fine political traditions", Xi said.

Those traditions include the fair and honest promotion of officers, rigorous discipline and "sacrifice to the revolutionary spirit", he said.

"We must deeply recognize the importance of political work in the military and the important role it plays and pass on to the next generations the great traditions that were forged in blood by our ancestors," Xi said.

"Never slacken in the determination to deepen the fight against corruption."

Pressing home this point, Xinhua reported that Xi ate a simple meal with serving officers, including pumpkin soup, a far cry from the ostentatious lifestyle of some officials which Chinese media reported following Xi's declaration of war on corruption.

China stepped up a crack-down on corruption in the military in the late 1990s, banning the People's Liberation Army from engaging in business. But the military has been involved in commercial dealings in recent years due to a lack of checks and balances, military analysts have said.

The buying and selling of senior jobs in the military, an open secret, has worried reformers who say it leads to those with talent being cast aside and damages morale.

Xinhua - Reuters

(China Daily USA 11/05/2014 page6)