Xinhua recently reported that the Beijing Leadership Group for the Full Cessation of the Military’s Commercial Services held its initial kick-off meeting on February 8. This marked the official beginning of the complete halt of the military providing commercial services in the Beijing area. Cai Qi, Deputy Secretary of the Beijing Party Committee, who is also the Mayor of Beijing, heads the Leadership Group. At the meeting, Cai delivered a speech that clarified the scope of the Cessation, which includes both the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Military Police. Cai emphasized that the order was based on the strategic decision that Chinese President Xi Jinping made so as to strengthen the Military’s discipline. The current policies allowed for-profit military services in the areas of communication, training, entertainment, sports, storage, science, health care, construction, real estate, and mechanical repairs. However, commercial military services have been identified as a key funding source for corruption.
Source: Xinhua, February 8, 2017
http://news.xinhuanet.com/local/2017-02/08/c_129471782.htm