China's military authorities on Thursday released a list of 16 high-ranking military officials who were charged with graft in 2014. Several of the names were made public for the first time. There had been rumors that Liu Zheng, former deputy director of the General Logistics Department was under investigation, and these were confirmed finally.

The public was taken by surprise because of the military's self-revealing move, more so than by the details of the cases themselves.

It is shameful that so many senior officials have been tarnished by corruption. The military's announcement of its yearly anti-corruption results highlights the severity of the situation. However, the attitude displayed shows a new outlook within the military or even nationwide.

In today's China, unraveling hidden problems has not yet become a widely accepted rule. Many local authorities are active in showing their anti-corruption resolve, but are reluctant to bring to light their graft scandals. The military is subject to more restraints than local governments due to security needs, but it now leads the nation in sparing no efforts to expose its corruption cases.

We want to take the latest move as a manifesto of determination and that's where our hopes rest.

It's fair to say that the military in general is in good shape despite corruption cases and other problems unveiled in recent years. The military still retains its lofty image among the people.

The Chinese government has consolidated public confidence with the unprecedented anti-corruption campaign. China is by no means the most corrupt country in the world and today's China is definitely not seeing the most corrupt time it has ever known in history. But globally, the country's crackdown on corruption has been rarely seen before. 

The military's resolution to combat corruption is indeed encouraging as it has taken a raft of measures to fight the "tigers" and also keep tight control of officials' alcohol consumption and the use of subsidized vehicles and residences. This has added momentum to the nationwide anti-corruption drive.

We hope that along with the published list, China's military can make more efforts regarding information transparency.

It can organize various activities enabling the public to have more direct exchanges with the army without compromising confidentiality. The public should also have the right to know about military spending and other major issues. These will produce multiple implications.

The 16 military officials, including Xu Caihou, former vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, have stained the military's reputation.

But people are capable of making a fair judgment that despite these graft cases, the military maintains its vibrancy. It endeavors to reliably keep the country safe, but it doesn't become arrogant, as its actions on Thursday indicate.