Battle against the enemy within

Besides, special attention should be paid to some key areas. Most corruption cases in the military are related to key positions, the management of military properties and infrastructure construction. Gu Junshan, the deputy chief of the PLA's general logistics department, who was charged with embezzlement in March, derived his dirty money mainly through building camps, and many military officers that have been court martialed for corruption were found to have accepted bribes for promotions.

Special measures are needed to prevent corruption in these areas. For example, the promotion of key military officers and the building of military bases could be more transparent, so there is less room for corruption.

Of course, the ultimate end is to prevent corruption from happening rather than dealing with it after the event; that requires long-term mechanisms. The army has its own disciplinary commissions, procuratorate and courts, and they need to be more independent to supervise power more effectively. It has been suggested that supervisors be answerable to their superior supervisor only, and it is time to try this in sample military units.

Last but not the least, the anti-graft campaign in the army can be combined with ongoing efforts to raise military transparency. Some military officers tend to use "military secrets" to circumvent supervision, but corruption can be concealed under that cover; it is necessary to introduce regulations that clearly and unambiguously define what constitutes a military secret, so that more power is placed under supervision. Transparency has proved to be the antidote to corruption elsewhere and it will be the antidote in the military as well.

The author is professor and deputy director of the Clean Governance Institute at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The article is an excerpt of his interview with China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang.