China expelled nine military officials from its parliament on Friday, including four generals from the strategic missile unit, as it appointed a new defense minister.
The decision, announced late Friday by the official Xinhua News Agency after a meeting of the Central Committee of China's ruling Communist Party, was not explained at the time.
The upper echelons of the Chinese army appear to be in a process of restructuring since the disappearance from public view in late August of Li Shangfu, who was appointed defense minister in March, and his formal dismissal in October.
Ultimately, it was Dong Jun who was named the new defense minister on Friday, ending months of vacation in the strategic post.
Back in July, the authorities announced that they would give new leadership to the unit responsible for strategic missiles, particularly nuclear missiles. Media reports then reported a corruption investigation against his former boss.
The nine officials expelled from the National People's Congress, China's parliament, on Friday were sitting there as unelected representatives.
Her dismissal “suggests that [les personnes révoquées] are the subject of an investigation and confirm certain rumors that have been circulating on the subject,” estimates the US-based company SinoInsider, which specializes in Chinese politics.
For analyst Lyle Morris of the American think tank Asia Society, there was a “connection between these officials and Li Shangfu.”
The new portfolio holder, Dong Jun, was previously Commander of the Navy, a position he has held since August 2021.