Crackdown on corruption targets license plates

President Xi Jinping has ordered a crackdown on the often abused perk of free license plates offered to top military officials, The Wall Street Journal reported. After May 1, military officials will no longer receive free license plates for luxury vehicles, unless those vehicles are registered as military property. Vehicles with military plates are exempt from road tolls and are rarely stopped by police for violating traffic regulations. Military license plates are reportedly hot commodities on the black market, as they are sometimes illicitly auctioned off to civilians at high prices. Vehicles belonging to the children of top Communist Party officials are often seen with the coveted plates.