China’s military: new PLA rule seen to cement troop loyalty to President Xi Jinping

Name: Xi Jinping leads celebrations marking centenary of China’s ruling Communist Party
Uploaded: 2022-04-29T14:21:01.000Z
Duration: 4 min 14 s
Description: Xi Jinping leads celebrations marking centenary of China’s ruling Communist Party

Rule for servicemen committees amended in line with ‘Xi Jinping Thought’, PLA Daily reports

Revival of grass roots democracy an attempt to activate the old ‘red genes’ of the Red Army, say experts

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President Xi Jinping at a military parade to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the PLA, in July 2017. Photo: AP

Minnie Chan

Published: 10:21pm, 29 Apr 2022Updated: 11:16pm, 29 Apr 2022

Lower-ranked officers in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will soon have more scope to supervise senior brass, under new rules that experts say are aimed at better securing the Chinese military’s loyalty to President Xi Jinping.

An amended regulation for servicemen committees was approved by the Central Military Commission (CMC) – the top military body – and will take effect from May 1, the official PLA Daily reported.

The amendment aims to bring the rules in line with “Xi Jinping Thought”, the report said, citing the CMC general office, but gave no details.

The move comes just months ahead of the 20th party congress, a twice-a-decade event expected to feature a major leadership reshuffle and a historic third term for Xi as general secretary.

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Xi Jinping leads celebrations marking centenary of China’s ruling Communist Party

The PLA Daily report highlighted the advantages of the “three grass roots democracies” – political, economic and military – seen as the key pillars of the servicemen committee legacy.