China’s Defense Ministry announced today that Admiral Miao Huamember of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), is being investigated by “alleged serious violation of discipline”.
Miaodirector of the department of political work of the CMCchaired by the president Xi Jinping and who supervises the People’s Liberation Army (EPL) of the Asian country, has been “suspended from duties”Defense spokesman Wu Qian said at a press conference.
According to Wu, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) decided to suspend Miao “awaiting the investigation.”
The spokesman did not offer further details, although authorities often use the expression “serious violation of discipline” to refer to an episode of corruption.
The general was last seen in public on October 7, when he attended the seventieth anniversary celebrations of the Production and Construction Corps. Xinjianga military organization created for the region of the same name.
The announcement comes just one day after the British newspaper Financial Times will ensure that Defense Minister Dong Jun is under investigation for alleged corruptioninformation that the Chinese Foreign Ministry pointed out was unfounded.
Dong, 63 years old and appointed in December last year, replaced the general Li Shangfu, who had been dismissed seven months after his appointment after a striking and unexplained absence from public life.
According to official US sources cited by the FTDong’s situation is part of a wave of investigations in the military establishment ordered by the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.
Dong, a PLA veteran and former Navy commander, last appeared in public last week, when he attended a summit of ASEAN defense ministers in Laos. At this meeting, the Chinese representative refused to meet with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin arguing that Washington “undermines the fundamental interests” from Beijing on the issue of Taiwan when selling weapons.
Victor Shihan expert on China’s elite politics, told AFP that Dong “probably “He had authority over tens of billions in acquisitions a year.” during his time in the navy. “The problem is that competition for senior positions is so fierce that there could be mutual recriminations between officers, leading to endless cycles of arrestsnew appointments and recriminations,” he said.
In addition to the two previous ministers – Li and his predecessor, Wei Fengheaccused of corruption when he was already retired – have fallen in recent months, among others, the two people in charge of the Rocket Force, on which the Asian giant’s nuclear program depends.
The same sources ventured that investigations into the People’s Liberation Army (EPL) are eroding Xi’s confidence in the military establishment and raising doubts about his ability to invade Taiwan by 2027, an objective that, according to US military officials, the president would have set. In that context, Xi’s purges are believed to seek place people loyal to the Chinese Communist Party in the most important command positions.
