China seeks public tips on procurement violations as PLA Rocket Force probe continues

China is soliciting public reports of suspected procurement corruption within the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF), as part of an ongoing anti-corruption initiative targeting the country's strategic missile branch. Suppliers, bidding agencies, evaluation experts, and relevant military personnel are urged to provide information on alleged violations concerning the Rocket Force's procurement process, including goods, services, construction projects, food, and medical supplies, according to a notice posted on Monday on the PLA's official procurement website.

Authorities have not specified a timeframe for when these alleged violations may have occurred. Reports can be submitted through a dedicated hotline and mail by November 30, 2026. This is not the first time the PLA has publicly requested tip-offs; similar appeals were made in December 2025 regarding procurement irregularities within the Air Force, and in August 2024 concerning online procurement violations by the PLA Cyberspace Force, which was only formally established as an independent branch in April of that year.

The pursuit of procurement integrity follows a significant purge of the PLA's senior ranks in recent years, affecting hundreds of officers, including five out of the seven members of China's top military decision-making body, the Central Military Commission, chaired by President Xi Jinping. The scrutiny has been particularly intense within the Rocket Force, with all four commanders since its inception in 2015 facing corruption investigations and disciplinary probes.

Notable among these is Wei Fenghe, the PLARF's first commander and a former defense minister, who was dismissed from the Communist Party and military in 2024. Subsequent commanders, Zhou Yaning, Li Yuchao, and Wang Houbin, have also been placed under investigation and subsequently expelled from the Communist Party and military, with their cases now subject to criminal prosecution.