Predecessor remains missing
Beijing presents new defense minister
December 29, 2023, 3:47 p.m
China’s former defense minister has not appeared in public for months. Authorities have not released any information about his disappearance. Now Beijing is presenting a successor.
In China, after the defense minister, who went into hiding for months, was expelled, a successor was appointed to the largely representative office. The previous naval chief of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Dong Jun, has been officially entrusted with the task by MPs, state media reported.
The 62-year-old will – as is usual for the office in China – have little decision-making power in military and defense policy. This is the responsibility of the Central Military Commission chaired by President Xi Jinping. Dong will instead represent the PLA to the press and other military officials. Dong’s predecessor Li Shangfu last appeared in Beijing at the end of August and then disappeared from the scene. He was officially released two months later. According to media reports, he is being investigated on suspicion of corruption in the procurement of equipment.
Li only became defense minister in March. An important task in this office is dialogue with the USA to prevent the risk of conflict over long-standing points of contention such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. During his short term in office, Li did not meet with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, which was justified in Beijing by US sanctions against Li over the purchase of Russian military equipment.
No official information has yet been released about Li’s disappearance. Several Western media outlets had speculated about the reasons for his disappearance. Citing US government sources, there was talk of an ongoing investigation against Li. The Communist Party has stepped up its crackdown in the army since the summer and replaced high-ranking military officials on suspicion of corruption.
At the end of July, Beijing had also removed Foreign Minister Qin Gang and reinstated his predecessor Wang Yi in office. Qin had also not been seen in public for weeks and was represented at international events. The reasons for his removal remain unclear. In China, high-ranking officials continue to disappear from public view. Later it often becomes known that, for example, the party’s disciplinary commission is investigating them.