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Dong replaces Li Shangfu, who was fired 4 months in the past and disappeared from the general public eye.
China has appointed former navy chief Dong Jun as its new protection minister after months of uncertainty following the resignation of his predecessor for undisclosed causes.
The official removing of Li Shangfu, the previous protection minister, was solely introduced in October. Li has not been seen in public since late August.
Asserting Dong’s appointment Friday at a gathering of the standing committee of China’s Nationwide Folks’s Congress, state information company Xinhua didn’t give any purpose for the change or Li’s present whereabouts.
Dong, 62, takes over the largely ceremonial position at a time when the USA has stepped up efforts to strengthen diplomatic and protection ties within the Asia-Pacific as a part of a marketing campaign to compete with China.
Whereas Dong would be the public face of the Folks’s Liberation Military (PLA) in its dealings with the media and different militaries, his ministry may have little say over protection coverage or army administration.
These important areas fall below the purview of the Central Army Fee, an elite group led by President Xi Jinping.
A key a part of his position shall be to work with the U.S. army to cut back the danger of battle over Taiwan and the South China Sea.
China has stepped up army strain on the democratically ruled island of Taiwan, which it claims in its entirety, forward of subsequent month’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
Earlier than turning into PLA navy chief and being promoted to full common in 2021, Dong was vice commander of the East Sea Fleet, the spine of what’s now the Japanese Theater Command – the principle pressure chargeable for the preventing for Taiwan.
He additionally served as vice commander of the Southern Theater Command, which operates within the disputed South China Sea – which is claimed by China, a lot to the anger of neighboring Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia.
Li grew to become protection minister in March and was seen as a Xi loyalist. Hypothesis concerning the purpose for his ouster, and that of International Minister Qin Gang in July, ranged from allegations of corruption to suspicions of espionage.
The US imposed sanctions on Li in 2018 over weapons purchases from Russia, together with Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 surface-to-air missile programs.
Combating alleged corruption has lengthy been a central theme of Xi’s rule.
China’s opaque political and authorized programs and the lack of expertise concerning the resignations of the protection and overseas ministers have led some to query whether or not this was the results of corruption or disputes with influential figures.
Final yr, former Trade Minister Xiao Yaqing disappeared from public view for nearly a month earlier than it grew to become identified that he was below investigation for corruption.
In latest months there has additionally been a shake-up within the management of China’s secretive Rocket Pressure, the army unit that oversees Beijing’s nuclear arsenal, following media experiences of a corruption investigation involving its former chief.
China appoints former navy chief Dong Jun as new protection minister | Political information
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