Defense minister Dong Jun investigated for corruption, FT says

Admiral Dong Jun

China is investigating its defense minister, Admiral Dong Jun, for corruption, according to a Financial Times report yesterday, citing unnamed U.S. officials. This marks another major scandal within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), following purges that ousted Dong’s two immediate predecessors.

Details of Dong’s alleged misconduct remain unclear. When asked about the probe during a Beijing press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning dismissed the report as “shadow chasing,” an idiom suggesting baseless rumors, Bloomberg has reported. The ministry has a history of withholding comments on corruption allegations against high-ranking officials.

According to Bloomberg, President Xi Jinping’s administration has intensified its anti-corruption efforts in the military, launching a sweeping investigation last year into hardware procurement since 2017. This probe led to the removal of numerous senior officials, including the last two defense ministers, and several figures linked to the secretive Rocket Force, which oversees China’s nuclear arsenal. Dong’s downfall, less than a year into his role, signals the investigation is escalating, the reports hint.

The turmoil raises questions about Xi’s leadership and vetting processes. In addition to the defense minister scandals, Xi’s handpicked foreign minister, Qin Gang, was removed in July 2023 after being ousted just months into his position. These events suggest broader instability within China’s political and military ranks, Bloomberg considers.

The PLA’s internal upheaval comes as China ramps up military drills around Taiwan, asserting claims over the self-ruled island. “Such instability could undermine Xi’s ambitions to modernize the military by 2027,” people cited The Rocket Force, a cornerstone of China’s Taiwan strategy, has been particularly affected by the corruption investigations, prompting Xi to order a major military reorganization in April 2023.

Dong, a navy veteran and the first defense minister from China’s naval branch, assumed office in December 2022. His tenure initially appeared to improve U.S.-China military dialogue, with meetings held between Dong and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. However, relations soured when Dong declined a follow-up meeting in November 2023. His last public appearance was during a visit to Laos on November 22.

Xi’s campaign to root out corruption underscores his determination to consolidate control over the PLA, even as it exposes the depth of systemic challenges within China’s military elite. MDT