Xi calls on Communist Party to 'turn knife inward' to end corruption

China's Communist Party must "turn the knife inward" to eliminate problems of discipline, including corruption, President Xi Jinping said, in a new call to hunt down corrupt officials and those who corrupt them.

Since coming to power more than a decade ago, Mr Xi has cracked down on corruption involving party members, whether they were high-ranking "tigers" or lowly "flies" who failed to implement government policies.

Despite the sweeping crackdown, the party continues to be plagued by graft, particularly within the armed forces. Two former defence ministers have been purged from the party in the past two years for "serious violations of discipline", a euphemism for corruption.