Study Xi, Read Confessions, March In Formation: Inside China's Ideological Training Camp

Last Updated:June 25, 2026, 09:29 IST

The participants' daily routine reportedly began with military drills, marching exercises, oath-taking ceremonies and songs focused on discipline and party loyalty.

Hundreds of senior Chinese military officers have completed an intensive 10-week ideological training programme personally ordered by Chinese President Xi Jinping, as Beijing’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign within the armed forces continues to gather pace.

Details of the training camp, which ran from April 8 and concluded last week, were revealed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese military, South China Morning Post reported.

According to the report, the programme brought together senior commanders from across the PLA, including generals, lieutenant generals and major generals, for political and ideological instruction centred on loyalty to the Communist Party and Xi’s military doctrine.

The participants’ daily routine reportedly began with military drills, marching exercises, oath-taking ceremonies and songs focused on discipline and party loyalty. The officers also attended more than 40 lectures and participated in reading sessions covering Communist Party discipline rules, Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military and speeches delivered by Jinping, the news outlet reported.

During the opening ceremony, Xi stressed the need for senior officers to lead by example and create an environment where officials speak honestly, offer candid advice and oppose wrongdoing.

As per the report, the programme also included discussions on corruption and discipline. Officers studied case files involving corrupt officials, reviewed written confessions and identified potential corruption risks within their respective departments. Participants were divided into groups covering operations, logistics, political work, equipment and technology to examine vulnerabilities and propose safeguards.

According to the PLA Daily, senior officers studied, ate and lived together throughout the programme, often continuing discussions in dormitories and cafeterias late into the night.

The training camp comes amid an unprecedented anti-corruption drive that has shaken China’s military establishment. In recent years, dozens of senior military figures have been investigated, removed from office or disappeared from public view as authorities intensified efforts to root out corruption within the armed forces.

The scale of the purge has been significant. Of the seven members of China’s powerful Central Military Commission appointed at the Communist Party Congress in 2022, only Xi Jinping and anti-corruption chief Zhang Shengmin remain in their positions.

The report noted that the Communist Party has historically relied on ideological remoulding of senior military leaders during critical moments, describing the latest programme as part of broader efforts to reinforce political loyalty and discipline within the PLA.

Xi has repeatedly underlined that the anti-corruption campaign in the military will continue. Speaking earlier this year, he said there should be “no sanctuary for the corrupt" within China’s armed forces and stressed that loyalty to the Communist Party remains the military’s fundamental requirement.

The latest training exercise is being viewed as both a political education programme and a warning to military leaders as Beijing pushes ahead with its efforts to tighten party control over the armed forces.

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Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre...Read More

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