Beijing presents new defense minister
China's former defense minister has not appeared in public for months. The authorities have not provided any information about his disappearance. Now Beijing is presenting a successor.
In China, a successor has been appointed for the largely representative office following the ejection of the defense minister, who had been absent for months. The former naval chief of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Dong Jun, has been officially entrusted with the task by members of parliament, according to state media reports.
As is usual for the post in China, the 62-year-old will 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 dismissed two months later. According to media reports, he is being investigated for suspected corruption in the procurement of equipment.
Li had only become defense minister in March. An important task in this office is dialog with the USA in order to prevent the risk of conflict over long-standing issues such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. Li had not met with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during his short time in office, which was justified in Beijing with US sanctions against Li due to the purchase of Russian military equipment.
No official statements have yet been made about Li's disappearance. Several Western media had speculated about the reasons for his disappearance. Citing US government sources, there was talk of an ongoing investigation into Li. Since the summer, the Communist Party has tightened its grip on the army and replaced high-ranking military officers on suspicion of corruption.
At the end of July, Beijing also removed Foreign Minister Qin Gang and reinstated his predecessor Wang Yi. Qin had also not been seen in public for weeks and was represented at international appointments. The reasons for his dismissal are still unclear. In China, high-ranking officials repeatedly disappear from public view. It often becomes known later that they are being investigated by the party's disciplinary commission, for example.
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The new defense minister in Beijing hails from one of China's ministries, as is often the case for this position. The transition comes amidst ongoing investigations into corruption allegations against Li Shangfu, the former minister, who had a folder containing sensitive information about military procurement.
Source: www.ntv.de
