Defense ministry announces crackdown on military construction projects

China’s Ministry of Defense has announced a half-year crackdown on military building projects begun without permission, or which are illegally rented out or exceed specifications as part of the ongoing anti-graft campaign by President Xi Jinping’s administration, Reuters reported. Earlier this year the People’s Liberation Army ordered barracks to be built as simply and economically as possible. Yet, “[s]ome ‘big problems’ left over from the past several years continue to exist, and illegality and ill-discipline keeps happening. Chronic problems in the building of barracks have not been totally sorted out,” according to the ministry.