The fight to rid the military of graft faced a backlash and remained serious, the PLA's official newspaper warned on Sunday, three days after the announcement of a former top general's prosecution for corruption.
The front-page editorial in the PLA Daily, which also warned that an army beset by corruption would not be able to win in combat, signaled the authorities knew of the influence wielded by generals implicated in the crackdown, observers said.
President Xi Jinping has made cracking down on corruption a priority since coming to power more than three years ago.
Two former vice-chairmen of the powerful Central Military Commission, Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong , have since come under suspicion.
The investigation into Xu was announced last year, but he died of bladder cancer in March. Guo was expelled from the Communist Party and handed over to military prosecutors on Thursday. "The gun will rust and the pillar will collapse if corruption is allowed to spread," the editorial said, adding that Xu and Guo had undermined the army's morale and jeopardize soldiers' values.
"History has repeatedly proven that if corruption is not eliminated, we will defeat ourselves even before a war."
The campaign had achieved results, it said, but the challenges remained daunting as some officers were still affected by "bad influence" over the past years.
"We have to be clear that the situation is still serious and complicated," it said. "There are still many problems to be tackled.
"The movement to clamp down on irregularities sometimes faces a backlash. There is still a long way to go to construct a healthy political atmosphere. There is still no overwhelming victory in the fight against corruption."
A statement issued by the party's Politburo on Thursday said Guo allegedly accepted bribes "personally and through his family members" in exchange for granting promotions in the military.
The report said that in line with party disciplinary rules, the Central Committee decided on April 9 to put Guo under investigation. "His acts seriously violated party discipline and left a vile impact," the Politburo said.
The buying and selling of senior jobs in the military is an open secret, but observers say the practice worries reformers who fear it will sideline talented people and lead to factions inside the army - which could challenge the leadership.
State media have run extensive commentaries in recent months, calling on officers to straighten up and decide where their allegiances lay.
As vice-chairman of the military commission, Guo decided how the defense budget was spent and which companies received contracts.
Yue Gang, a retired colonel and a Beijing-based military affairs commentator, said factions had formed within the military and Xu and Guo interfered in the promotion process.
"They held their power for too long and had already cultivated their support base," Yue said.
"It's going to take a long time to completely eradicate their influence with the anti-corruption investigation and personnel reshuffle."
Additional reporting by Reuters
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