China on Thursday announced it had removed military official Miao Hua from office over suspected “violations of discipline.”
It comes as Beijing engages in a major crackdown on corruption in its armed forces.
What do we know about Miao’s suspension?
Authorities had “decided to suspend Miao Hua from duty pending investigation,” Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Defence Ministry, said at a press briefing.
He said that Miao had been accused of “serious violations of discipline” — phrasing often used by Chinese officials to allude to corruption allegations.
The spokesperson did not provide further details on the investigations.
Miao was a senior member of the country’s highest national defence authority, known as the Central Military Commission (CMC).
Military subject to multiple probes, suspensions
At least nine generals of China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and a handful of defence industry executives have been removed from the CMC since last year as part of Beijing’s anti-corruption drive.
The force that oversees China’s arsenal of strategic missiles has come under particularly intense scrutiny, with its top official, Sun Jinming, being expelled from the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over corruption allegations in July.
Chinese President Xi Jinping launched several anti-corruption campaigns shortly after assuming office in 2013. Critics have accused him of using the probes to consolidate his power within the CCP.
Investigation into minister a ‘fabrication’ – spokesperson
During the press briefing on Thursday, Wu also dismissed earlier reports that Defence Minister Dong Jun was being investigated for corruption.
“The reports in question are pure fabrications,” Wu said.
“The rumour-mongers are ill-intentioned. China expresses its strong dissatisfaction with such slanderous behaviour,” he said.
The statement comes after the UK’s Financial Times newspaper published a report citing US officials as saying that Dong was under investigation by a Chinese anti-corruption probe.
Dong was appointed defence minister in December after his predecessor, Li Shangfu, was removed over allegations including suspected bribery after he had spent just seven months in office.
The previous defence minister, Wei Fenghe, was also suspended over alleged corruption.
