China has suspended a top military official and placed him under investigation for corruption, the defense ministry said, as leader Xi Jinping broadens a sweeping purge in the upper ranks of the world’s largest military.

The suspension of Miao Hua, one of China's highest-ranking military officials, marks an escalation in leader Xi Jinping's campaign to tackle corruption.

On Thursday, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense confirmed that Miao Hua, a member of the Central Military Commission and the chief of the PLA Political Work Department, is under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline.