Dong Jun becomes China's third defence minister in a row to face corruption probe: Report

An investigation has been launched against the Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun as part of an anti-corruption probe, according to The Financial Times report.

As per the report, the investigation is part of a broader probe into China's military corruption. 

Jun is the third defence minister of China in a row to fall under investigation for corruption. 

He was appointed as defence minister in December 2023, just after Li Shangfu was removed from the post after serving for seven months. 

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Both Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe were kicked out from the Communist Party in June 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. 

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. 

Last week, Jun declined to speak with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a meeting of defence ministers to discuss US actions over Taiwan. 

As China's defence minister, Jun oversees the country's military diplomacy with other countries worldwide. 

Recently, Jun oversaw a thaw in US-China military-to-military ties in September. 

But Jun was not promoted to the six-member Central Military Commission (CMC), which is China's top military body. 

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Traditionally, China's defence minister has been part of the CMS, the body headed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the State Council, China’s cabinet-level executive body.

Jun also was not appointed to the State Council during the government reshuffle in March 2024. 

(With inputs from agencies)