PLA Daily Commentary: Anti-Corruption Campaign Rectifying the Roots Politically; Cleansing the Poison Ideologically; & Generating New Flesh Organisationally

Also in this edition: Xi Jinping focuses on technology & development of future industries during the Politburo study session.

Another day and another front-page commentary in the PLA Daily, discussing the investigation against Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli.

“Sailing against the current means that if you do not advance, you will fall behind; political rectification is a long and arduous task. Political rectification is an important magic weapon for the PLA to strengthen its own construction politically, and a powerful weapon for comprehensively strengthening the Party’s leadership and Party building within the PLA. The serious investigation and handling of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli demonstrates our Party’s clear attitude in firmly defending the political character of the PLA, embodies the determination and will to resolutely win the tough battle, protracted battle, and overall battle of the military’s anti-corruption struggle, promotes the formation of an atmosphere and orientation in which comprehensive strict governance of the Party becomes ever stricter, and discipline enforcement becomes stricter the further it goes. This will inevitably further clear the source and rectify the root politically, cleanse the poison and remove malpractices ideologically, and remove the rot and generate new flesh organisationally, consolidating and deepening the results of political rectification to forever preserve the nature, purpose, and true colours of the PLA. 逆水行舟不进则退，政治整训任重道远。政治整训是人民军队从政治上加强自身建设的重要法宝，是全面加强人民军队党的领导和党的建设的有力武器。严肃查处张又侠、刘振立，彰显了我们党坚定捍卫人民军队政治本色的鲜明态度，体现了坚决打赢军队反腐败斗争攻坚战持久战总体战的决心意志，推动形成全面从严治党越来越严、越往后执纪越严的氛围导向，必将进一步从政治上正本清源，从思想上肃毒除弊，从组织上去腐生肌，巩固深化政治整训成果，永葆人民军队性质、宗旨、本色。

The history of the PLA is a history of moving toward strength through political rectification and innovation under the Party’s leadership. At every major historical juncture and important historical stage, our Party has used political rectification to eliminate negative factors, unify thinking and actions, and enable the PLA to unleash its invincible power. Since the Party Congress, the Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has placed comprehensive and strict Party governance and the comprehensive and strict governance of the military within the overall situation of Party and state work and the overall situation of military building, promoting political rectification, rectifying conduct, enforcing discipline, and fighting corruption with unprecedented determination and intensity, eliminating major political hidden dangers that affected the Party’s absolute leadership over the military and endangered the Party’s governing foundation, achieving historic accomplishments in political army-building in the new era. Practice has proven that without revolutionary political tempering, there could not have been the great transformation of the PLA in the new era. 人民军队的历史就是一部在党的领导下通过政治整训革新向强的历史。每当重大历史关头、重要历史阶段，我们党都通过政治整训，革除消极因素，整齐思想、整齐步伐，使人民军队焕发无往不胜的强大力量。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央把全面从严治党、全面从严治军放在党和国家工作大局、军队建设全局下运筹设计，以前所未有的决心力度推进政治整训、正风肃纪反腐，清除了影响党对军队绝对领导、危害党的执政根基的重大政治隐患，新时代政治建军取得历史性成就。实践证明，如果没有政治上的革命性锻造，就不可能有人民军队新时代伟大变革.

“Political rectification is a baptism and tempering of the PLA from the inside out. At present, the world situation, national situation, Party situation, and military situation are all undergoing complex and profound changes. The ‘four major tests’ and ‘four kinds of dangers’ facing our Party will exist for a long time. The tests our military faces politically are intricate and complex. Many factors that affect the Party’s absolute leadership over the military and erode the political character of the PLA objectively exist, and the task of eradicating the soil and conditions that breed corruption remains arduous and heavy. We must fully recognise that political rectification is an important component of completing the established tasks of the goal of building a strong military, and is an important pathway for reshaping the PLA, and we must persistently deepen political rectification and consolidate purity and glory; we must also fully recognize that the concentrated investigation and handling of corruption problems at present is not that ‘the more one fights corruption, the more corruption there is,’ but rather that ‘the deeper one digs, the more is uncovered’. We must not stop for a single step, nor retreat by even half a step, unswervingly carry the military anti-corruption struggle through to the end, and ensure that our military’s bloodline is perpetuated forever, its foundation is forever firm, and its advantages are forever preserved.” 政治整训是对人民军队由内而外的洗礼淬炼。当前，世情、国情、党情、军情都在发生复杂深刻变化，我们党面临的“四大考验”“四种危险”长期存在，我军在政治上面临的考验错综复杂，影响党对军队绝对领导、侵蚀人民军队政治本色的诸多因素现实存在，铲除腐败滋生土壤和条件任务仍然艰巨繁重。我们要充分认清政治整训是完成强军目标既定任务的重要内容，是重塑人民军队的重要途径，必须持续深化政治整训、巩固纯洁光荣；充分认清当前腐败问题集中查处不是越反越腐，而是越挖越深，必须一步不停歇、半步不退让，坚定不移把军队反腐败斗争进行到底，确保我军血脉永续、根基永固、优势永存.

(Note: This is such an important paragraph to understand the narrative around the anti-corruption campaign. The purges are being framed as essential components of the PLA’s modernisation agenda. Even more interesting is the explanation being provided that the persistence of corruption, or rather the discovery of new cases, is not a reflection of the failure of the anti-corruption campaign; rather they are part of design. In other words, the deeper one is going, the more one is discovering. Perhaps, this is sensitivity to some of the criticism that the campaign has been on forever, and still one’s seeing such cases emerge.)

“A strong military must first be strong politically; political strength is the most fundamental strength. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed ‘continuously deepening political rectification’, which is a strategic deployment made by our Party with a view to building and grasping the military ideologically and politically. The entire military must persist in treating political rectification as a major political task, placing it in a prominent position in overall work, maintaining the intensity and rigor of strict implementation, and promoting political rectification to go deeper and be more effective, continuously enhancing the political advantages of our military under new historical conditions. It is essential to emphasise clearing the source and rectifying the root politically; persist unremittingly in using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to gather hearts and forge souls and deepen the arming with Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military; firmly and consciously lead political rectification to deeper levels; strengthen ideological tempering, political training, and practical experience; firmly secure and deeply embed the ideological roots of ideals and convictions, Party-spirit cultivation, and official ethics and personal character, and continuously purify thinking, purify the ranks, and purify the political ecology.

It is essential to carry forward the spirit of thorough self-revolution; persist in turning the blade inward, expelling the turbid and elevating the clear, and scraping the bone to treat the poison; root out ideological impurities from the depths of the soul; comprehensively bring to light accumulated problems and deep-seated maladies; correct erroneous understandings, behavioral deviations, and unhealthy conduct; strictly enforce political discipline and political rules; focus on key industries and fields and plough them deeply with a heavy plough; completely eliminate the lingering poisonous influences; and ensure that the PLA forever preserves its nature and purpose, always dares to fight and is certain to win, always remains united in struggle, always sees talent emerge in abundance, always remains pure and glorious, and always maintains strict discipline and law.”

强军首先要在政治上强，政治上强是最根本的强。党的二十届四中全会提出“持续深化政治整训”，这是我们党着眼从思想上政治上建设和掌握军队作出的战略部署。全军要坚持把政治整训作为重大政治任务，摆在全局工作突出位置，保持严抓实抓的力度紧度，推动政治整训往深里走、往实里落，在新的时代条件下不断增强我军政治优势。要突出政治上的正本清源，坚持不懈用习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想凝心铸魂，深化习近平强军思想武装，坚定自觉把政治整训引向深入，加强思想淬炼、政治历练、实践锻炼，固牢扎深理想信念、党性修养、官德人品思想根子，不断纯净思想、纯洁队伍、纯正生态。要发扬彻底的自我革命精神，坚持刀刃向内、激浊扬清、刮骨疗毒，从灵魂深处剔除思想杂质，全面起底问题积弊，纠正错误认知、行为偏差和不良做派，严明政治纪律和政治规矩，扭住重点行业领域重犁深耕，彻底肃清流毒影响，确保人民军队永葆性质宗旨、始终敢打必胜、始终团结奋斗、始终人才辈出、始终纯洁光荣、始终法纪严明

“The military is the one that holds the gun; within the armed forces, there must absolutely be no place for corrupt elements to hide. The current anti-corruption struggle is a continuation of the rectification of work style and anti-corruption efforts since the 18th Party Congress, and a deepening of the reshaping of the PLA. The entire military must maintain a high-pressure posture without wavering; strengthen strategic resolve and the conviction of inevitable victory in the anti-corruption struggle; advance in an integrated manner ensuring that officials do not dare to be corrupt, are unable to be corrupt, and are unwilling to be corrupt; effectively govern all kinds of corruption problems; further confine power within the cage of institutions; continuously raise the penetrative force of anti-corruption; more forcefully and effectively eradicate the soil and conditions in which corruption breeds; adhere to fighting corruption wherever corruption exists, strictly punishing greed wherever greed exists, and eliminating evil to the utmost; and carry out the most resolute struggle against all corruption phenomena. Party committee leaders at all levels of the military must resolutely shoulder the political responsibility of governing the Party and governing the military; strictly implement the spirit of the central 8-point regulations and the CMC’s 10-point regulation and the spirit of their implementation rules; be strict with themselves, strictly bear their responsibilities, and strictly manage those under their jurisdiction; strictly manage thought, work, conduct, and discipline; lead by example to rectify and purify the military’s ethos and promote its development, providing strong work-style and discipline guarantees for achieving on schedule the centenary goal of building the military. 军队是拿枪杆子的，军中绝不能有腐败分子藏身之地。当前反腐败斗争是党的十八大以来正风反腐的延续、重塑人民军队的深化。全军要保持高压态势不动摇，增强反腐败战略定力和必胜信念，一体推进不敢腐、不能腐、不想腐，有效治理各类腐败问题，进一步把权力关进制度笼子，不断提高反腐败穿透力，更加有力有效铲除腐败滋生的土壤和条件，坚持有腐必反、有贪必肃、除恶务尽，同一切腐败现象进行最坚决的斗争。军队各级党委领导要坚决扛起管党治党政治责任，严格落实中央八项规定精神、军委十项规定及其实施细则精神，严于律己、严负其责、严管所辖，从严管思想、管工作、管作风、管纪律，以上率下纯正部队风气、推动建设发展，为如期实现建军一百年奋斗目标提供坚强作风和纪律保障.

The other important report I am covering today is the Politburo’s first study session for 2026, and the 24th collective study session since the 20th Party Congress. This discussed the forward-looking layout and the development of future industries. Yu Xiaohui from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology was the guest speaker. As per the report:

After listening to the explanation and discussions, Xi Jinping delivered an important speech. He pointed out that cultivating and developing future industries is of great significance for seizing the commanding heights of science, technology, and industry and grasping the initiative in development, for developing new-quality productive forces and building a modern industrial system, for improving the quality of people’s lives, and for promoting the all-round development of people and comprehensive social progress. In recent years, the Party Central Committee has attached great importance to this, strengthened policy support, and promoted positive momentum in the development of future industries. 习近平在听取讲解和讨论后发表重要讲话。他指出，培育发展未来产业，对于抢占科技和产业制高点、把握发展主动权，对于发展新质生产力、建设现代化产业体系，对于提高人民生活品质、促进人的全面发展和社会全面进步，都具有重要意义。近年来，党中央高度重视，强化政策支持，推动未来产业发展呈现良好势头.

Xi Jinping emphasised that future industries have characteristics such as being forward-looking, having strategic significance, and possessing disruptive potential; they require scientific planning and overall coordination. It is essential to focus on the main directions of China’s future industrial development during the 15th FYP period, scientifically demonstrate technological routes, and enhance strategic foresight and judgment capability regarding frontier technologies. It is necessary to comprehensively consider factors such as national strategic needs, the degree of technological maturity, and supporting conditions of production factors, proceed according to local conditions, and pursue differentiated development. It is necessary to strengthen industrial coordination and promote future industries to complement and reinforce one another with emerging industries and traditional industries. 习近平强调，未来产业具有前瞻性、战略性、颠覆性等特点，需要科学谋划、全局统筹。要聚焦“十五五”时期我国未来产业发展的主攻方向，科学论证技术路线，提升前沿技术战略预判能力。要综合考虑国家战略需求、技术成熟程度、要素支撑条件等因素，因地制宜、错位发展。要强化产业协同，推动未来产业同新兴产业、传统产业相得益彰.

(Note: In other words, technological development must remain guided by the Party-state’s broad industrial agenda, rather than finding its own path.)

Xi Jinping pointed out that the degree of scientific and technological breakthroughs, to a large extent, determines the speed, breadth, and depth of the development of future industries. It is necessary to fully leverage the advantages of the new national system, adhere to the principle of ‘industry posing the questions, and science and technology providing the answers’, increase efforts in tackling key core technologies in key domains, strengthen strategic, forward-looking, and systematic planning for basic research, and accelerate the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements. 习近平指出，科技突破的程度，很大程度上决定未来产业发展的速度、广度、深度。要充分发挥新型举国体制优势，坚持“产业出题、科技答题”，加大重点领域关键核心技术攻关力度，加强基础研究战略性、前瞻性、体系化布局，加快科技成果转化应用.

Xi Jinping emphasised that the rise of many future industries relies on enterprises achieving breakthroughs step by step. It is necessary to fully leverage the principal role of enterprises, promote the agglomeration of all kinds of innovation resources toward enterprises, vigorously cultivate technology-leading enterprises and high-tech enterprises with leading core technologies and strong innovation capabilities, and lead and drive industries to advance toward frontier and high-end fields. 习近平强调，很多未来产业的兴起是靠企业一步步突破带动的。要发挥企业主体作用，推动各类创新资源向企业集聚，大力培育核心技术领先、创新能力强的科技领军企业和高新技术企业，引领带动产业向前沿和高端领域迈进,.

Xi Jinping pointed out that future industries have long cultivation cycles and significant market risks, requiring policy support and effective government services. It is necessary to improve fiscal, taxation, and other policies, vigorously develop science and technology finance, comprehensively do a good job in talent training, introduction, and utilisation, and create a strong atmosphere throughout society that encourages innovation. 习近平指出，未来产业培育周期长、市场风险大，政策上要支持，政府要做好服务。要完善财税等政策，大力发展科技金融，全方位做好人才培养、引进、使用工作，在全社会营造鼓励创新的浓厚氛围.

Xi Jinping emphasised that the development of future industries involves a wide range of areas, requiring improvements in governance systems. It is necessary to coordinate development and security, explore scientific and effective regulatory methods, prevent related risks, ensure both ‘releasing vitality’ and ‘managing well’. It is necessary to deepen international cooperation, actively promoting the joint development of standards, the joint discussion of rules, and the joint promotion of industries among all parties. Leading cadres at all levels must strengthen the study of frontier scientific and technological knowledge, and strive to achieve understanding of science and technology, familiarity with industry, and skill in decision-making. 习近平强调，未来产业发展涉及面广，必须健全治理体系。要统筹发展和安全，探索科学有效的监管方式，防范相关风险，确保既“放得活”又“管得好”。要深化国际合作，积极推动各方标准共建、规则共商、产业共促。各级领导干部要加强科技前沿知识学习，努力做到知科技、懂产业、善决策.