China has a new Defense Minister

The decision to appoint the Minister of National Defense was approved on December 29, at a session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC). Admiral Dong Jun, 62 years old this year, has been steadily rising in the ranks of the Chinese Navy for many years and became the head of this force in 2021. Before assuming the role of naval leader, Mr. Dong served as Deputy Commander of the Southern Theater Command, responsible for operations in the East Sea.

Dong Jun's appointment comes after Beijing fired former Defense Minister Li Shangfu in late October without offering any public explanation for the decision. Li Shangfu has not been seen in public since August, fueling speculation in Western media about his involvement in a corruption scandal. In September, Reuters reported that Li was under investigation for alleged corruption in military procurement.

Mr. Li was also placed on the US sanctions list in 2018 for his alleged role in the purchase of Russian equipment, which, according to the Financial Times, was the main reason he was unable to directly participate in negotiations with US defense officials. Unlike Mr. Li Shangfu, Mr. Dong Jun is not on the US restricted list.

Meanwhile, despite the strained Sino-US relations, President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping agreed at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit last month to resume high-level military contacts between the two countries. According to the Pentagon, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown held talks with his Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenli last week to discuss “a range of regional and global security issues.”