China’s Xi Calls on Party to ‘Turn Knife Inward’ to End Corruption

China's President Xi Jinping speaks during the inauguration ceremony of Macau's new Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng as part of 20th anniversary handover celebrations, in Macau on December 20, 2019. (AFP)
China's President Xi Jinping speaks during the inauguration ceremony of Macau's new Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng as part of 20th anniversary handover celebrations, in Macau on December 20, 2019. (AFP)
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China’s Xi Calls on Party to ‘Turn Knife Inward’ to End Corruption

China's President Xi Jinping speaks during the inauguration ceremony of Macau's new Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng as part of 20th anniversary handover celebrations, in Macau on December 20, 2019. (AFP)
China's President Xi Jinping speaks during the inauguration ceremony of Macau's new Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng as part of 20th anniversary handover celebrations, in Macau on December 20, 2019. (AFP)

China's Communist Party must "turn the knife inward" to eliminate problems of discipline, including corruption, President Xi Jinping said, a new call to hunt down corrupt officials and those who corrupt them.

Since coming to power over a decade ago, Xi has cracked down on corruption involving party members, whether they were corrupt high-ranking "tigers" or lowly "flies" who failed to implement government policies.

But despite the sweeping crackdown, the party continues to be plagued by graft, particularly within the armed forces. Two former defense ministers have been purged from the party in the past two years for "serious violations of discipline", a euphemism for corruption.

The party must take counter-measures against any interest group, organization of power, or privileged class from preying on or corrupting party members, Xi warned in a speech published on Monday by Qiushi Journal, a flagship party magazine.

"As the situation and tasks facing the party change, there will inevitably be all kinds of conflicts and problems within the party," he said.

"We must have the courage to turn the knife inward and eliminate their negative impact in a timely manner to ensure that the party is always full of vigor and vitality."

Xi's call to "turn the knife inward" was part of a speech he gave at a major meeting with the party's anti-graft watchdog on Jan. 8, but had not been disclosed previously.

The excerpts published on Monday suggest a renewed and wider push to instill discipline and hunt down officials seeking personal gain and those who lead them astray.

Last month, the defense ministry disclosed that an admiral who had served on the Central Military Commission, the country's highest-level military command body, was under investigation for "serious violations of discipline".

Last year, about 610,000 party officials were punished for violating party discipline, of which 49 were officials above the vice minister or governor level, according to statistics from the party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.



Norway PM Wants Oil Fund to Review Stake in Israeli Company

This aerial view shot from a German Air Force (Luftwaffe) military transport aircraft during an airdrop relief mission shows the scene in the Gaza Strip on August 5, 2025. (AFP)
This aerial view shot from a German Air Force (Luftwaffe) military transport aircraft during an airdrop relief mission shows the scene in the Gaza Strip on August 5, 2025. (AFP)
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Norway PM Wants Oil Fund to Review Stake in Israeli Company

This aerial view shot from a German Air Force (Luftwaffe) military transport aircraft during an airdrop relief mission shows the scene in the Gaza Strip on August 5, 2025. (AFP)
This aerial view shot from a German Air Force (Luftwaffe) military transport aircraft during an airdrop relief mission shows the scene in the Gaza Strip on August 5, 2025. (AFP)

Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Tuesday he had asked the country's finance minister to look into the country's sovereign wealth fund having invested in an Israeli jet engine maker, even as the war in Gaza raged.

Norway's sovereign wealth fund, also known as the oil fund as it is fueled by vast revenue from the country's oil and gas exports, is the biggest in the world and with a value of some $1.9 trillion, with investments spanning the globe.

On Monday, Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reported that the fund had invested in Israeli Bet Shemesh Engines Holdings, which manufactures parts for jet engines used in Israeli fighter jets.

"I get very concerned when I see this," Store told broadcaster NRK on Tuesday.

Store added that he had asked the finance minister to get in touch with the country's central bank, which manages the fund, "to find out what the situation is."

Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, confirmed on Tuesday that the fund had purchased a stake in the company in 2023 and that it had increased its holdings after the Israeli offensive in Gaza begun.

Tangen said the fund now owned over two percent of the company's shares.

Speaking to broadcaster TV2, the head of the ethics council evaluating whether companies live up to the fund's ethical guidelines, Svein Richard Brandtzaeg, said the council had not deemed the sale of aircraft engines to Israel covered by the ethical guidelines.

"We have therefore not investigated companies that maintain aircraft engines. We will now consider this. The fund has comprehensive ethical guidelines, but there is still room for discretion on the part of the council," he told TV2.

Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday afternoon told a press conference he still had confidence in Tangen, following calls that the fund head should resign.

Stoltenberg stressed that the central bank and the fund were "responsible for implementation and enforcement based on the overall guidelines," news agency NTB reported.

The news agency added that Stoltenberg had also requested a new review of the fund's investments in Israel.