China’s Defence Minister, Admiral Dong Jun, is now under investigation for corruption, marking the latest scandal to impact the leadership of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), according to current and former US officials familiar with the case.
Dong, who was appointed in December 2023 following the dismissal of his predecessor, General Li Shangfu, for similar corruption allegations, is being investigated as part of a broader crackdown on graft within the PLA. He is the third consecutive defence minister to face such scrutiny, with both Li and his predecessor, Wei Fenghe, also placed under investigation for corruption after their tenure.
Dong succeeded General Li, who was removed from his post after just seven months in the job. Both men were appointed by President Xi Jinping.
This news comes just a week after Dong attended an Asian defence meeting in Laos, where he refused to meet with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin—a decision Austin described as “unfortunate.” The two had met earlier in May during the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, marking the first significant minister-level engagement between the two militaries since November 2022.
The Chinese Defence Ministry placed the blame for the diplomatic standoff on the US, accusing Washington of being “solely responsible” due to its recent approval of a weapons package for Taiwan, which for the first time included advanced surface-to-air missiles.
This diplomatic incident follows a recent meeting between US President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Peru, where both leaders reaffirmed the importance of maintaining direct military communications. China had previously shut down military communication channels with the US in August 2022 after then-Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. However, Xi agreed to reopen the channels following a summit with Biden in San Francisco a year later, paving the way for meetings between Dong and Austin.
In response to reports about Dong’s investigation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning dismissed the claims as “catching wind and shadows,” suggesting that the allegations were unfounded.
