BEIJING: China named former navy chief Dong Jun as its new defence minister on Friday (Dec 29), filling a vacancy created by the removal of Li Shangfu in October.
The appointment comes as President Xi Jinping upgrades the military as part of his push to make China a dominant world power, a goal that has alarmed many neighbours.
Dong, 62, was appointed at a meeting of the standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress, state news agency Xinhua said.
The role of China’s defence minister is to be the public face of the People’s Liberation Army in its engagement with the media and with other armed forces.
A crucial element of his job is to engage with the United States military to lower the risk of conflict over Taiwan and the South China Sea, two flashpoints to which Dong is no stranger.
Before becoming the People’s Liberation Army Navy chief and made a full general in 2021, he was vice commander of the East Sea Fleet, the backbone of what is now the Eastern Theatre Command – the main force responsible for fighting over Taiwan, a self-ruled island China considers its own.
He also served as vice commander of the Southern Theatre Command which operates in the disputed South China Sea, most of which is claimed by China.
“Dong would be familiar with managing near-encounters between the Chinese and US military. This is useful when he has to manage crises between both militaries,” said Li Mingjiang, an international relations scholar at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
Wen-Ti Sung, political scientist and non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, said the selection of Dong could be a sign that purges are ongoing in the Rocket Force and Equipment Development Department.
The two preceding defence ministers, who came from these two forces, have since disappeared from public view.
Beijing has not explained Li’s disappearance but stripped him of his title as defence minister and state councillor in October.
Li had headed the department in charge of equipment procurement and research before taking up the defence minister job in March. He has not been seen in public since Aug 25.
Reuters cited sources to report that Li was under investigation for corruption related to equipment procurement and development.
Source: CNA
