Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun is reportedly under investigation after less than a year in office, making him the latest high-ranking official to become ensnared in President Xi Jinping's sweeping anti-corruption campaign.
Dong is the third Chinese defense minister in under two years to face such scrutiny. U.S. officials told the Financial Times that Dong is being investigated as part of Xi's latest anti-graft drive, though the specific allegations against him remain unclear.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese embassy in the U.S. with a written request for comment.
"Another spectacular failure of Beijing's internal vetting processes," Neil Thomas, a fellow on Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute, wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Thomas noted that while Dong isn't considered part of Xi's inner circle, as his predecessor Li Shangfu was, his investigation is "embarrassing" and highlights broader issues of corruption within the PLA (People's Liberation Army).
"More heads could roll," Thomas added. "This shows PLA corruption goes well beyond the Rocket Force."
The news comes shortly after Dong skipped a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the ASEAN defense ministers' summit in Laos earlier this month. Beijing cited the U.S.'s recent arms sale to Taiwan as the reason for the snub.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, though the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has never governed the island. Beijing frequently condemns U.S. arms sales to Taiwan as violations of its sovereignty.
Former Defense Minister Li Shangfu vanished in August 2023 after just six months in the role. He was formally removed from his position two months later, along with former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who was ousted in July 2023 after serving only eight months. Both were expelled from the State Council, China's equivalent of a cabinet.
Li's predecessor, Wei Fenghe, who served as defense minister from 2018 to 2023, was also implicated in corruption following his retirement and expelled from the CCP.
Since 2013, Xi's anti-corruption purge has reportedly resulted in investigations into over 4 million of the CCP's 99 million members. The campaign has targeted high and lower-ranking officials—famously described by Xi as "tigers and flies—though many observers have suggested Xi has also purged cadres seen as disloyal as he consolidated power.
Other high-profile targets included the leadership of the PLA Rocket Force, raising concerns over Xi's grip on the branch tasked with overseeing China's nuclear arsenal.
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