Sweeping change of China's top military guard

Dozens of top military cadres, including the commander and the political commissar of the key South Sea Fleet, have been swept up in a major reshuffle at the top of the People's Liberation Army over the past few weeks.

A military observer said the changes were tied to the ongoing push against corruption but the defence ministry insisted they were simply routine.

The winter reshuffle, apparent from indirect references in state and military media reports, comes as President Xi Jinping's graft crackdown rolls its way through the military, a campaign epitomised by the arrest of Xu Caihou , once the military's second-in-command.

It also coincides with an unverified list online of some 40 generals that have changed jobs in recent weeks.

But defence ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said on Thursday that the reshuffle was standard practice.

"The military reshuffles leading officers at opportune times every year. These are normal personnel arrangements," Yang said, according to a transcript on the ministry's website.

Among the most-watched changes had been the appointment of South Sea Fleet commander Jiang Weilie , 59, as the PLA Navy's deputy commander, and fleet political commissar Wang Dengping , 62, as the navy's deputy political commissar, Caixin reported, citing a report on the PLA Daily's official microblog.