PLA backs probe of senior military officer

Soldiers and officers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) support the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee’s decision to transfer the case of Fang Fenghui, a member of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), to the military prosecution authority for suspected bribery.

“The decision to transfer Fang’s case to military prosecutors shows the CPC Central Committee’s commitment to full and strict governance over the Party and the military, and its resolve to fight corruption with zero tolerance,” the PLA Daily said in an article Wednesday.

The case of Fang, who is also a former chief of staff of the CMC Joint Staff Department, has been transferred to the military prosecution authority for allegedly offering and accepting bribes.

“As a high-level Party and military official, Fang compromised his ideals and beliefs, abandoned the purpose of the CPC, became politically degenerate, economically insatiable, and completely deviated from the Party’s principles,” the article said. “Fang betrayed the trust of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC and let the people down, and severely tarnished the image of the Party, the military and leading officials.”

The handling of Fang’s case is an important part of the efforts to eliminate the harmful influence of Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, former CMC vice chairmen, the PLA Daily article said.

The article added that the 19th CPC National Congress had outlined a blueprint for building a strong country with a strong army, and urged strict governance over the Party, and the governing of the military with strict discipline in all aspects.

“The cases of Fang and Zhang Yang, both former members of the CMC suspected of offering and accepting bribes, have deeply warned us,” it said.

“There are no no-go zones; no ground is left unturned; and no tolerance is shown for corruption,” the article said, urging the implementation of tight constraints and a tough stance and long-term deterrence in fighting corruption.