China's military will tighten financial oversight with revised auditing rules coming into effect from Jan. 1, meaning all the armed force's financial dealings will have to be audited, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday after several scandals.
As head of the 2.3 million-strong armed forces, President Xi Jinping has made his fight against military corruption a top priority. Officers have warned that the problem is so pervasive it could undermine China's ability to wage war at a time when Beijing has increasingly projected its influence in the region and surrounding seas.
The People's Liberation Army is already reeling from Xi's anti-corruption campaign, which has seen dozens of officers investigated and jailed, including Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, both former vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission.