China has announced new disciplinary rules for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), reinforcing political loyalty to the Communist Party and tightening internal controls amid an ongoing anti-corruption drive that has brought down several senior military figures in recent times. The revised supplementary rules to the implementation of the party’s disciplinary regulations will take effect on January 1, 2026, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
What do the new PLA discipline rules change?
The official newspaper of the Chinese military, the PLA Daily, said the updated framework would “prioritise strict political discipline and rules”. The revisions explicitly list disciplinary breaches such as “erroneous political remarks”, non-compliance with orders from the Central Military Commission (CMC) and failures to implement the CMC chairman responsibility system.
Why does the CMC chairman responsibility system matter?
The CMC is China’s highest military decision-making body. Under the chairman responsibility system, its chairman — currently President Xi Jinping — functions as commander-in-chief and holds the final vote on major military decisions. The structure is designed to ensure absolute party leadership over the armed forces.
How will the rules address “fake combat capabilities” and war readiness?
Although full details of the changes have not yet been released, the SCMP report, citing PLA Daily, said the revisions strengthen requirements related to war readiness, including instructions to eliminate “fake combat capabilities” and clarify the role of party committees in military discipline. Updates similar to these were last issued in 2017, a period when China was restructuring its armed forces and completing a 300,000-troop cut.
Do the revisions tighten personnel and business oversight in the PLA?
The new rules also aim to address personnel management and military involvement in business activities. These additions seek to better regulate how officers are selected and appointed, and to tighten oversight of commercial engagements by the armed forces, the report noted.
Why are the rules being issued now?
The announcement, made on Monday (December 1), follows a string of high-profile dismissals in the Chinese military. In October, China removed nine top generals from the party and the military, including former CMC vice-chairman He Weidong, former ideology and personnel head Miao Hua, and his deputy, He Hongjun. They were accused of disloyalty to the party, serious disciplinary violations and grave duty-related offences. Their expulsions were endorsed at the fourth plenum of the Central Committee.
How does this fit into China’s anti-corruption and modernisation push?
China’s top leadership has repeatedly identified corruption in the military and defence industry as a major obstacle to the PLA’s modernisation efforts. The party’s proposals for the next five-year period, covering 2026 to 2030, emphasised the need for “political rectification” in the military, a term that covers both anti-corruption work and political discipline.
The PLA Daily also said the new rules would support reforms to the military procurement system and strengthen the management of defence spending. It added that “the principle of building the armed forces through diligence and thrift must be fully implemented to ensure that military development is efficient, cost-effective and sustainable”.
China has been running a nationwide campaign since March to reinforce its eight-point austerity rules, which have been in place since 2012. These rules target bureaucratic excesses and luxurious official spending, including the misuse of public funds for entertainment.
Why is China’s defence industry also under scrutiny?
The anti-corruption push has extended beyond the military into the wider defence sector. In recent years, executives from major arms suppliers, aerospace firms and defence research institutes have been investigated or removed from their posts.
Corruption allegations in the defence industry contributed to the postponement or cancellation of major arms contracts in 2024, according to a report released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The cancellations resulted in a significant drop in revenue for eight Chinese military suppliers.
