All People’s Liberation Army ranks have a price, getting a Communist Party membership has a price, and important military positions are reserved for cronies, senior officers children and in-laws, three retired PLA major generals told local TV this week, addressing the “horrible” corruption in the military. In the interview with mainland-tied Phoenix Television on Monday, the former senior officers called for reforms, from empowering the military anti-graft agency to improving defence spending transparency, to curbing rampant graft among troops. “Everybody in society knows that in the PLA … you need to pay to join the party. Promotions to become leaders at platoon, company, regiment and division levels all have their own price tags,” said retired PLA Major General Yang Chunchang, who is a former department deputy head of China’s Academy of Military Sciences. It has affected the security of the army. It’s too horrible, as bribes are in the scale of several tens of million [yuan] Yang Chunchang “It has affected the security of the army. It’s too horrible, as bribes are in the scale of several tens of million [yuan],” he said in the TV interview. Speaking of the disgraced Central Military Commission vice-chairman, General Xu Caihou, Yang said the top brass’ way to use and choose people is “number one, money; number two, connections; number three, their personal bond,” adding that Xu was not alone. “After trouble loomed around Xu and others, their aides said they have too much power,” Yang said. “For a military area commander position … [despite] one bribing him 10 million, when the next bribes him 20 million, he will trash the first guy who give him 10 million.” Yang attributed the military’s serious corruption to its system that allows the top commander to take advantage of the confidentiality that military relationships require. “Some people say that the corruption in the military is more serious than corruption at the local level. Why has such serious corruption occurred? It is because the army’s high level of centralisation and unification was being taken advantage of. “Its leadership system [requires] … the commander in chief has the final say. Some corrupt officials made use of this mechanism, which – in an objective sense – protected their wilful acts,” he said. Yang said the military was so corrupted that even when the graft-busters wanted to report a case, it would be blocked by someone who is more senior. He recalled that Peng Gang, a niece of Communist Party’s revolutionary leader, Marshal Peng Dehuai, failed to report an officer who had seven cars, even though she was the head of the military’s discipline inspection department. “She said those more senior than her did not allow her to report it,” Yang said. Retired Major General Jiang Chunliang, a former researcher at the Academy of Military Sciences, said cronyism and corruption took the front seat in deciding important appointments. Favouritism is shown to some “people’s sons, son-in-laws, secretaries, those who are closer to the senior officers, or those willing to bribe officers-in-charge. Incompetent candidates are thus picked for important leading roles,” Jiang said. Retired Major General Luo Yuan said in the TV interview that while he thought corruption in the military had “yet to be widespread”, he warned graft would erode the morale of the troops. “Which soldier will be willing to sacrifice for a corrupt officer, or to fight a battle for a corrupt officer? That corrupt officer has his own private coffer; how will he risk his own life for the country?” Luo asked. Luo suggested the military’s top anti-graft agency, currently under the General Political Department, should be placed directly under the governing Central Military Commission so that it could have more teeth in checking other military units. The agency could also merge with the military’s auditing and prosecution departments. Yang said the PLA should also increase transparency of its spending within the military, so as to reduce the chance for senior officers to embezzle. The interview was later removed from Phoenix website by Tuesday. Another Beijing-based retired major general, who refused to be named, said: “It raised speculations in the public that all military commanders got promotions for bribery,” the veteran told the South China Morning Post . Additional reporting by Minnie Chan