BEIJING: China`s President Xi Jinping said there were `deep-seated problems` in the Chinese military`s politics, ideology, work style and discipline, state-run CCTV reported on Wednesday, amid an ongoing military anti-corruption purge.

`There must be no hiding place for corrupt elements in the army,` Xi was quoted as saying at a military political work conference this week in the northwestern city of Yanan, the founding stronghold of the Chinese Communist Party.

`Cadres at all levels, especially senior cadres, must show up, and have the courage to put aside their prestige and expose their shortcomings. They must deeply self-reflect ... make earnest rectifications, resolve problems at the root of their thinking.` The political tests currently faced by the People`s Liberation Army (PLA) are `intricate and complex` and the national situation, party situation and military situation are `all undergoing complex and profound changes`, Xi said in a keynote speech to military cadres, including Zhang Youxia and He Weidong, the second and thirdin-command of the PLA.

Xi also vowed to `enrich the toolbox for punishing new types of corruption and hidden corruption` and to strengthen the supervision of senior cadres.-Reuters