Dong Jun’s appointment ends weeks of speculation over who would take over after the unexplained firing in October of then-Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfa, who is subject to U.S. sanctions.
For the first time, a military man became the new Minister of Defense of China. He is not yet a member of the Central Military Commission.
Let us add that the head of the joint staff department of the commission, Liu Zhenli, was previously considered the main contender for the post of head of the Chinese Ministry of Defense.
Personnel purges in the Chinese army
This comes amid a wave of personnel purges in China’s People’s Liberation Army this year. Thus, in the summer, two top leaders were suddenly removed from the secret missile forces from which the PRC defense ministers had previously been elected.
Also this week, three senior executives from Chinese defense suppliers that make missiles were expelled from the Chinese Communist Party’s top advisory body.
Nine military deputies were also expelled from the legislature, including former Air Force commander Ding Laihang.
What explains the purpose
According to a fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Center, Dong Jun’s promotion is a sign that Beijing has outlined the South China Sea “as a new priority area for geopolitical confrontation between China and the United States.”
The publication notes that today’s appointment of the head of the Chinese Ministry of Defense will help smooth out the situation with the resumption of high-level military negotiations between Beijing and Washington. They were put on pause following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last year.
As a senior US military official told reporters on condition of anonymity, these negotiations will resume in January.
Negotiations between US and Chinese military
Let us recall that last month Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the United States, where he met with his counterpart Joe Biden. One of the topics of discussion between the leaders was the resumption of contacts at the military level. They agreed that such negotiations needed to be resumed.
In November, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin noted that the United States was concerned about the lack of contacts at the top military level with China.
And on December 21, the Pentagon announced that the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Brown, held talks with Chinese Army General Liu Zhenli. Dialogue at this level between countries took place for the first time in a year and a half.
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2023-12-29 19:59:57
