Beijing

Amidst rumours that the new Chinese defence minister had been placed under investigation for graft, Dong Jun appeared in public in Shanghai on Thursday (Dec 5) at a security forum. His appearance followed a call by Chinese President Xi Jinping a day earlier for the Chinese military to uphold stability as well as loyalty to the communist party.

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Speaking at the forum focused on the Gulf of Guinea, Dong Jun said his nation was willing to cooperate with several African nations of the region, reported state news agency Xinhua.

Late last month, the Financial Times reported that Dong Jun had become China’s third defence minister in a row to be placed under investigation for alleged corruption. Dong was appointed as defence minister in December 2023, just after his predecessor Li Shangfu was removed from the post after serving for seven months.

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Both of Dong’s predecessors—Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe—were kicked out from the Communist Party for "serious violations of discipline", a euphemism for corruption.

The Communist Party released a statement at the time saying that the pair "betrayed the trust of the party and the Central Military Commission, seriously polluted the political environment of the military, and caused great damage to ... the image of its senior leaders".

Over the past year, the Chinese government has intensified its crackdown on alleged graft in the country's military.

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In November, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the military to act on corruption cases and strengthen its "war preparedness".

According to a Bloomberg report, US officials said the crackdown has been intensified as the country fears that corruption could affect China's ability to wage a war.

(With inputs from agencies)