Follow Xi as 'core leader' of Communist party: PLA told

The Chinese military has been firmly told to follow the instructions of the ruling Communist Party with President Xi Jinping as a "core leader".
"The troops must resolutely safeguard the core and follow the leadership of the CPC," said Fan Changlong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), headed by Xi while taking part in a panel deliberation of the government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC).
CMC is the overall high command of the 2.3 million strong People's Liberation Army, the world's largest military force.
Under the Chinese political system, armed forces function under the Communist Party of China (CPC) which conferred "core leader" status on Xi, elevating him to the level of party founder Mao Zedong.

The PLA and armed police must implement Xi's decisions and instructions in pushing forward military building, reform and combat preparedness, Fan, the highest military official of the Chinese military was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.
Since he took over the CPC leadership in 2012, Xi launched a massive anti-corruption drive in which thousands of officials including over 40 high-ranking military officers were punished for graft.