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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)
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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.

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NKorea's Kim Watches Missile Test-firings from Country's 1st Destroyer

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, front right, and his daughter visit to observe the test-firings, conducted on April 28 and April 29, 2025, of missiles from a newly launched destroyer "Choe Hyon" at an undisclosed place in North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, front right, and his daughter visit to observe the test-firings, conducted on April 28 and April 29, 2025, of missiles from a newly launched destroyer "Choe Hyon" at an undisclosed place in North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
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NKorea's Kim Watches Missile Test-firings from Country's 1st Destroyer

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, front right, and his daughter visit to observe the test-firings, conducted on April 28 and April 29, 2025, of missiles from a newly launched destroyer "Choe Hyon" at an undisclosed place in North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, front right, and his daughter visit to observe the test-firings, conducted on April 28 and April 29, 2025, of missiles from a newly launched destroyer "Choe Hyon" at an undisclosed place in North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea said Wednesday leader Kim Jong Un observed the test-firings of missiles from a recently launched destroyer — the first such warship for the North — and called for accelerating efforts to boost his navy's nuclear attack capabilities.
North Korea last week unveiled the 5,000-ton destroyer equipped with what it called the most powerful weapons systems built for a navy vessel. During Friday's launching ceremony at the western port of Nampo, Kim called the ship's construction “a breakthrough” in modernizing North Korea's naval forces, The Associated Press reported.
Outside experts say it's North Korea's first destroyer and that it was likely built with Russian assistance. They say North Korea's naval forces lag behind South Korea's but still view the destroyer as a serious security threat as it could bolster North Korea's attack and defense capabilities.
The official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday that Kim watched the tests of the destroyer's supersonic and strategic cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missile, automatic guns and electronic jamming guns earlier this week.
He appreciated the ship's combination of powerful strike weapons and conventional defenses and set tasks to speed the nuclear-arming of his navy, the report said.
During the ship's launching ceremony, Kim said the destroyer will be deployed early next year. He said the acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine would be his next big step in strengthening his navy. He underscored the need to beef up North Korea's deterrence capability to cope with what he called escalating US-led hostilities targeting the North.
An analysis of photos of the warship shows that its anti-air radar system is likely from Russia, said Lee Illwoo, an expert with the Korea Defense Network in South Korea. He said the warship's engine system and some of its anti-air weapons systems also likely came from Russia.
North Korea and Russia have been sharply expanding military and other cooperation in recent years, with the North supplying troops and conventional weapons to support Russia's war efforts against Ukraine. The US, South Korea and their partners worry Russia will likely in return provide North Korea with high-tech weapons technologies that can enhance its nuclear program as well as shipping other military and economic assistance.
South Korea’s military said Wednesday that South Korean and US intelligence authorities were closely monitoring North Korean warship development. South Korea’s spy agency separately told lawmakers that North Korea won't likely be able to deploy a nuclear-powered submarine anytime soon without Russian support.
In March, North Korea unveiled a nuclear-powered submarine under construction. Many civilian experts said at the time that North Korea may have received Russian technological assistance to build a nuclear reactor to be used in the submarine.
Lee said the deployment of a warship with an advanced radar system off North Korea's west coast could sharply bolster its air defense capabilities for Pyongyang, the capital. Lee said South Korea, which has 12 destroyers, still vastly outpaces North Korea's naval forces. But he said the North Korean destroyer, which can carry about 80 missiles, can still pose a big threat, as South Korea's navy hasn't likely braced for such an enemy warship.