BEIJING: Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun has been placed under investigation for corruption, a report said on Wednesday, making him the latest official to fall in a major crackdown on corruption in the country’s military. .
Citing current and former US officials familiar with the situation, British newspaper the Financial Times said the investigation against Dong was part of a broader investigation into military corruption.
If confirmed, Dong would be the third consecutive Chinese defense minister to come under investigation for corruption.
Asked about the report at a regular briefing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said it was just “chasing the shadow” and offered no further information.
A former navy commander, he was appointed defense minister in December after predecessor Li Shangfu was abruptly ousted after just seven months in the job.
Li was later expelled from the ruling Communist Party on suspicion of bribery, state media said. He has not been seen in public since then.
His predecessor, Wei Fenghe, was also expelled from the party and handed over to prosecutors for alleged corruption.
“It’s definitely a blow … because one would imagine they would be extremely careful to keep someone in that role very clean,” said Dylan Loh, an assistant professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.