Corruption may hamper China military modernization: Pentagon

China's military corruption threatens modernization efforts, impacting top leaders and nuclear advancements, as reported by the Pentagon.

Corruption in China's military has led to the removal of top leaders and may hamper the country's efforts to modernize its armed forces, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

In 2023, Beijing's forces "experienced a new wave of corruption-related investigations and removals of senior leaders which may have disrupted its progress toward stated 2027 modernization goals," the congressionally mandated annual report on Chinese military and security developments said.

At least 15 high-ranking military officers and defense industry executives were removed from their posts between July and December 2023, according to the report.

"Several leaders investigated or removed for corruption oversaw equipment development projects related to modernizing the PRC's ground-based nuclear and conventional missiles," it said, using an abbreviation for the People's Republic of China.

The 2027 goals that may be impacted include "boosting the speed of modernization in military theories, organizations, personnel, and weapons and equipment," according to the report.

A senior US defense official noted that "frequent turnover and replacement of high-level personnel certainly can be disruptive," while efforts to uncover corruption can slow down projects and also spiral from one official to others who are connected.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has overseen a wide-ranging campaign against official corruption since coming to power just over a decade ago, with critics saying it also serves as a way to purge political rivals.