Two months after the ousting of the previous defense minister, China has announced the appointment of Dong Jun to the crucial role, signaling a shift in its defense leadership.
Mr. Dong, a seasoned former navy commander, now steps into the shoes of Li Shangfu, the last public sighting of whom dates back to August.
China’s foremost legislators revealed Mr. Dong’s appointment during a Friday Standing Committee meeting of the National People’s Congress in Beijing.
This decision comes in the wake of a series of oustings of high-ranking military figures from the nation’s top positions earlier this year.
In addition to Mr. Li, the changes also encompassed the removal of Qin Gang as foreign minister in July. No explanations were provided for the dismissals of Mr. Li or Mr. Qin, both of whom had held their positions for just seven months each.
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The trend of dismissals persisted this week, with nine senior military officials being removed from the Standing Committee, as reported by Reuters and attributed to state media outlet Xinhua.
Earlier this week, state media reported the removal of three executives from state-owned missile defense firms from Beijing’s top political advisory body.
This action is seen by some analysts as a potential signal of a more extensive purge, particularly focusing on senior military figures.
Mr. Dong, at the age of 62, took on the position of navy commander in August 2021.
Before his current position, Mr. Dong served as the deputy commander of the Chinese military’s Southern Theatre Command, responsible for operations in the disputed South China Sea, where China asserts sovereignty over significant portions.
Mr. Dong’s designation follows the first high-level phone talks in over a year between military officials from China and the US last week.
The relationship between the two nations soured in 2022 following a visit to Taiwan by then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Although Taiwan governs itself, China considers it a separatist province that will ultimately reunite with the mainland.
Over the past few months, China and the US have experienced a thaw in relations, exemplified by a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his counterpart Joe Biden in California in November. During this meeting, they agreed to resume military communications after more than a year of silence.