China's Xi Jinping makes rare reference to recent military purge

Government

Chinese President Xi Jinping has made a rare public reference to a recent crackdown which saw the country's top military general removed. General Zhang Youxia, who was widely seen as Xi's closest military ally, was removed from his post in January. He was accused of "serious violations of discipline and law" - typically a euphemism for corruption. Speaking in a virtual address on Tuesday, Xi said the past year had been "unusual and extraordinary", adding that the army had "undergone