China’s People’s Liberation Army Daily reported that the first PLA-wide senior officer training program, lasting 10 weeks, was held at the National Defense University in Beijing from April 8 to June 16. Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony in his capacity as Chairman of the Central Military Commission and delivered a speech, according to the state military newspaper’s front-page account.
At the opening, Xi declared that any thoughts or actions motivated by self-interest or corruption are fundamentally incompatible with the nature and purpose of the CCP, which he described as a Marxist political party representing the broadest interests of the people and claiming to hold no special interests of its own. He also stressed that the military must have no room for those who are disloyal to the Party or for corrupt elements, and that senior officers must take the lead in resisting corrupt practices.
The training program adopted a blended learning model combining expert instruction, group study sessions, and individual self-study, with more than 40 theoretical lectures and over 10 focused readings of key texts. Participants also watched cautionary educational films on corruption, studied CCP disciplinary regulations, and reviewed Central Military Commission guidelines on strengthening oversight and management of senior military officers.
During the first week, trainees participated in an activity titled “Revisiting the Beginning of Soldierhood and Reflecting on the Responsibilities of Commanders,” which included re-taking the Party oath, re-singing the “Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention,” and drilling basic military formations during morning exercises.
The report noted that participants unanimously affirmed the need to uphold the “CMC Chairman Responsibility System,” and that the Central Military Commission attached great importance to the training program. The article was published ahead of the PLA’s centenary in 2027, framing the initiative within Xi’s broader anti-corruption campaign in the military, which has targeted figures up to the level of vice chairman of the CMC and defense minister since he took power in November 2012.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), June 24, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202606240105.aspx