China appoints former naval commander Dong Jun as new defense minister
China has appointed a successor to former Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who has been missing for months. The new defense minister is the former naval commander Dong Jun, as the state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday, citing a decision by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. His predecessor Li had already been surprisingly dismissed from his post as defense minister as well as his position in the Chinese State Council in October.
The general had not appeared in public since August 29. Several Western media outlets 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 party has tightened its grip on the army and replaced high-ranking military officers on suspicion of corruption. Officially, however, no details have yet been released regarding Li's disappearance.
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 disappear from the public eye time and again. 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 China, who replaced the missing Li Shangfu, is none other than former naval commander Dong Jun. His disappearance for several months has been a topic of speculation among Western media outlets. The dismissal of both Li and former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who also disappeared, hints at a tightening of control over high-ranking officials in China. The reasons behind the dismissals and disappearances remain unclear, but historical instances have often revealed investigations by the party's disciplinary commission.
Source: www.ntv.de
