China is tightening its restriction against unregistered private groups within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), according to a report by the Want China Times (WCT).
According to a spokesperson from the PLA's education rectification leading group office, the government has ordered that all unofficial PLA groups and societies not registered under the Ministry of Civil Affairs must be dissolved.
The directive also covers non-standardized organizations that have organizational or membership mechanisms and regular group activities or events.
Earlier in August, the PLA's General Political Department issued similar guidelines which aimed at managing the various groups within the military. It specified that officers cannot join unsanctioned non-governmental organizations not connected with their duties as soldiers.
The crackdown on such groups comes amid alleged acts of corruption committed by members.
Furthermore, the WCT report stated that the groups are supposedly being used as venues for illegal transactions, such as the selling of artwork at exorbitant prices and money laundering activities.
According to Gong Fangbin, a professor at the National Defense University of the PLA, although the rise of non-governmental organizations is a sign of societal development, such groups must be registered.
In recent years, the Chinese government has been loosening its authority toward such organizations.
Gong said that as the protector of the party's political goals, the PLA needs to have unity in thinking and unity in action. As such, the current prohibition on unregistered groups within the military is justified as uncontrolled conduct within the group may eventually outweigh the positive implications, he added.