Former PLA Navy chief takes over as new defence minister after predecessor’s sacking

Li, the commander of the nation’s missile drive, was the second senior minister to be unexpectedly faraway from workplace this yr and the primary Chinese defence minister to be placed on a US sanctions checklist resulting from Russian arms gross sales Image Courtesy Agencies

Two months after General Li Shangfu was summarily fired with out trigger, China on Friday appointed General Dong Jun, a former naval commander and rumoured private good friend of President Xi Jinping, as the new defence minister.

Dong was named in Li’s stead by the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s highest legislature, which verified Li’s elimination in October, in response to official media stories.

As one of many highest-ranking officers nonetheless in energetic responsibility, Dong, the previous commander of the Chinese navy, was elevated to the rank of basic in September 2021, in response to the China Daily.

Considered an in depth good friend of President Xi, Dong was elected in October of final yr to the Communist Party of China (CPC).

He served within the Northern Sea Fleet, which is at present a daily participant in joint drills with the Russian Navy, the Eastern Sea Fleet, which concentrates on potential conflicts with Japan, and the Southern Command Theatre, which is in control of the South China Sea, previous to rising to the rank of prime commander within the navy in 2021, in response to the South China Morning Post of Hong Kong.

President Xi, who can be the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and the pinnacle of the Central Military Commission (CMC), approves appointments to the highest defence positions.

Prior to Li, Qin Gang, the overseas minister, was additionally dismissed with out trigger. Wang Yi took Qin’s publish as Foreign Minister. Wang was changed earlier this yr by Qin as the nation’s senior diplomat.

We have no idea what turned of Qin or Li.

In late August, Li had vanished from view and no clarification had been supplied for his departure.

Li, the commander of the nation’s missile drive, was the second senior minister to be unexpectedly faraway from workplace this yr and the primary Chinese defence minister to be placed on a US sanctions checklist resulting from Russian arms gross sales.

In late August, Li had vanished from view and no clarification had been supplied for his departure.

Li, the commander of the nation’s missile drive, was the second senior minister to be unexpectedly faraway from workplace this yr and the primary Chinese defence minister to be placed on a US sanctions checklist resulting from Russian arms gross sales.

Following Xi and US President Joe Biden’s current summit, the US and China just lately agreed to restart their delayed discussions between prime defence officers. This coincides with the nomination of Dong as the new defence minister.

In retaliation for former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s August 2018 journey to Taiwan, China severed army ties.

General Liu Zhenli, the Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission in China, and General Charles Brown, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US army, had a video convention on December 21 to rekindle negotiations between their forces.

“The video call yielded positive and constructive outcomes,” Chinese Defence spokesman Sr. Col. Wu Qian advised the media.

Under Xi, the Chinese navy has surpassed the military in significance because of a big improve within the variety of warships and standard and nuclear submarines in its fleet.

Notably, neither Li nor Dong have been within the armed forces.

In competitors with the US army, the Chinese Navy is on the forefront of China’s world outreach to extend its affect, with three plane carriers at numerous levels of operational readiness.

In relation to Chinese naval operations within the disputed South China Sea, Xi elevated two naval officers on Tuesday, together with a specialist in submarines to the place of senior naval commander.

The highest rank accessible to Chinese officers serving within the discipline is basic.

Among the promoted officers have been Hu Zhongming, the Commander of the PLA Navy, and Wang Wenquan, the Political Commissar of the PLA’s Southern Theatre Command.

Hu was a talented submarine specialist who had participated in a number of drills and the Chinese navy’s inaugural worldwide expedition.

(With company inputs)