China has appointed Dong Jun as its new defense minister, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Friday, December 29, citing a decision by the standing committee of the National People’s Congress, the Chinese Parliament.
The post had been vacant since the dismissal in October of his predecessor, Li Shangfu, whose last public appearance was at the end of August. No reason was ever given for his ouster after just seven months in office. The Ministry of Defense has since refused to clearly say who is acting at the head of the largest army in the world.
Born in 1961, Dong Jun was promoted to navy commander in August 2021. He was previously a vice-in-charge of the Chinese military’s Southern Command, which includes the South China Sea as its area of operation, where territorial disputes pit Beijing against neighboring countries.
Surprise promotion
This promotion is a surprise. Analysts expected Liu Zhenli, a 59-year-old general and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to become China’s new defense minister. He notably spoke last week with his American counterpart, General Charles Q. Brun Jr, during the first high-level call in more than a year between military personnel from the two leading world powers.
The appointment of Dong Jun, from the navy, is “a sign that China considers the South China Sea a new priority area”, estimates on X (formerly Twitter) political scientist Wen-Ti Sung, an expert on the region at the Australian National University.
This appointment also comes two weeks before a presidential election in Taiwan, which China considers one of its provinces, and after a reshuffle at the head of the Chinese army unit responsible for strategic missiles. , particularly nuclear.
In July, the authorities announced that they would provide this unit with new management without explaining this change. Media reports then reported a corruption investigation involving his former boss, who had not been seen in public for weeks.