China tells military to ignore rumours, obey party

China's top military newspaper told troops on Friday to ignore rumours on the Internet and steel themselves for "ideological struggle" as the ruling Communist Party faces a leadership transition, in a sign of jitters in Beijing.

The Liberation Army Daily did not mention outlandish rumours of a foiled coup in Beijing that spread on the Internet in past weeks, after the abrupt ousting of Bo Xilai, an ambitious contender for a spot in the new central leadership to be unveiled at a party congress later this year.

A front-page commentary in the newspaper, however, left no doubt the party leadership wants to inoculate People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops against rumours that could corrode the authority of President Hu Jintao, who also serves as head of the party and chairman of the Central Military Commission, which commands the PLA.

The paper admonished soldiers to "resolutely resist the incursion of all kinds of erroneous ideas, not be disturbed by noise, not be affected by rumours, and not be drawn by undercurrents, and ensure that at all times and under all circumstances the military absolutely obeys the command of the Party central leadership, the Central Military Commission and Chairman Hu."

Although the coup rumours were unfounded, their spread and the government's tightening of Internet controls and warnings to ignore such talk have raised jitters about stability after Bo's fall.

In addition, the military has been shaken by a separate corruption scandal in the run-up to the party leadership change, said Chen Ziming, an independent scholar of politics in Beijing.

"I think both incidents generated tensions and uncertainty, and in the military the case of Gu Junshan is a source of tensions," said Chen, referring to PLA Lieutenant General Gu, whose downfall for apparent corruption emerged this year.

"Before previous recent party congresses, the Internet was not such a factor, and structural factors, including the big turnover of leaders, are adding to uncertainty now," he said.

The newspaper commentary directed at the military builds on a series of official comments aimed at reinforcing the party's grip on opinion after an unsettling two months at a time the leadership prizes stability.

"MISTAKEN WORDS"

In late March, authorities shut 16 Chinese websites and detained six people accused of spreading rumours about unusual military movements and security in the capital, feeding talk of an attempted coup or schism in the leadership.

The rumours fed on speculation about the ousting of Bo, who in mid-March was removed as party boss of Chongqing city in southwest China, over a month after his vice mayor, Wang Lijun, fled to a U.S. consulate, triggering a scandal exposing accusations of infighting and abuses of power.

Charismatic Bo had wrapped himself in populist rhetoric and egalitarian vows, and his removal has stirred open opposition from leftist supporters who see him as the victim of a plot.

Despite Bo's fall, the party's leadership transition appears on track, with Vice President Xi Jinping's rising profile leaving little doubt that he will succeed Hu.

The Liberation Army Daily has mentioned nothing about Bo or the rumours, nor Gu's case, in a string of comments over the past week aimed at stressing loyalty to the party and to Hu.

"Conscientiously resist all kinds of mistaken words and actions damaging to the party's image and unity, and do not heed or believe all kinds of hearsay and dark stories," the paper said last Sunday.

On Friday, it said the military must maintain a tight grip on troops' access to the Internet in the middle of what it called an "ideological struggle" before the 18th Communist Party congress late this year, when Hu and his cohort will retire.

"Historical experience shows that whenever the party and country faces major issues, and whenever reform and development reach a crucial juncture, struggle in the ideological arena becomes even more intense and complex," said the newspaper.

"We must pay close attention to the impact of the Internet, mobile phones and other new media on the thinking of officers and troops," it said.

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