Chinese prez calls on party to 'turn knife inward' to end graft

China's Communist Party must "turn the knife inward" to eliminate problems of discipline, including corruption, President Xi Jinping said, a new call to hunt down corrupt officials and those who corrupt them.

- Reuters

BEIJING/TAIPEI:

Since coming to power over a decade ago, Xi has cracked down on corruption involving party members, whether they were corrupt high-ranking "tigers" or lowly "flies" who failed to implement government policies.

But despite the sweeping crackdown, the party continues to be plagued by graft, particularly within the armed forces. Two former defence ministers have been purged from the party in the past two years for "serious violations of discipline", a euphemism for corruption.

The party must take countermeasures against any interest group, organisation of power, or privileged class from preying on or corrupting party members, Xi warned in a speech published on Monday by Qiushi Journal, a flagship party magazine.