China has accused the nine generals expelled from the Communist Party on Friday of seriously undermining the principle that the military should be loyal to the party and dealing a serious blow to the army’s unity and the image of senior officers.
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An editorial published by PLA Daily on Saturday also said the nine generals – including He Weidong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and a member of the 24-man Politburo – were “being disloyal” and losing their “chastity”.
It further accused them of “a total collapse of their beliefs” as party members.
The accusation of disloyalty and lost chastity echoed language used last year when Wei Fenghe, a former defence minister, was expelled from the party and put under investigation.
The peculiar wording of the accusation levelled against Wei sparked speculation as to whether he had been compromised by foreign forces, though the party released no details.
Saturday’s editorial said the nine generals had done serious damage to the principles that the party should command the army as well as the principle that the army was accountable to the CMC’s chairman.
