China sends graft inspectors to armed forces, academies - Xinhua

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's Central Military Commision, the country's top military leadership body, has dispatched corruption inspectors to the armed forces and its military academies to conduct "re-examinations," state news agency Xinhua said. The inspections cover the army, navy, air force, rocket force, Academy of Military Science, National Defense University, National University of Defense Technology and the armed police, Xinhua reported late on Tuesday. Previous inspections found issues with leading officials including lax discipline and misconduct in procurement and housing assignments, according to Xinhua. President Xi Jinping has made his fight against corruption, including in the military, a top priority. Serving and retired officers have warned that the problem is so pervasive it could undermine China's ability to wage war. At the same time, Xi has unveiled a broad-brush outline for military reforms, seeking further modernisation of the command structure of the world's largest armed forces. In April, China accused Guo Boxiong, a former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, of taking "huge" bribes in return for promotions. (Reporting By Nathaniel Taplin; Editing by Michael Perry)