China's military called on Tuesday for unity and loyalty to the ruling Communist Party after one of its most senior former officers was accused of corruption, the highest-ranking official to date felled in a battle against pervasive graft.
Xu Caihou, who retired as vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission last year and from the Communist Party's decision-making Politburo in 2012, was also expelled from the party and will be court-martialed.
President Xi Jinping heads the Central Military Commission, which controls the 2.3 million-strong armed forces, the world's largest, and has repeatedly reminded them to be loyal to the party.