In a significant development within the Chinese Communist Party’s military leadership, both Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were simultaneously announced to have fallen from grace. This upheaval comes amidst long-standing rumors of an investigation into Defense Minister Dong Jun, who made a public appearance engaging in a video call with a senior official from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
According to the official website of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, on January 27th, Dong Jun had a video call with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. During the call, they discussed the so-called “strategic guidance” of Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Dong Jun’s public appearance coincides with escalating internal conflicts within the Chinese Communist Party.
On January 24th, Zhang Youxia, a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, as well as Liu Zhenli, a member of the Central Military Commission and Chief of the Joint Staff of the Central Military Commission, were suddenly announced to have been ousted. The CCP military newspaper released a commentary on the evening of the 24th accusing Zhang and Liu of “seriously trampling and undermining the system where the Chairman of the Military Commission is responsible and endangering the foundation of the CCP’s governance.”
However, there has been no further official publicity from the CCP on this matter since then, and there are speculations that Xi Jinping’s purge operation is being resisted within the military, leading to a tense and critical political situation.
Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were absent from the opening ceremony of a special seminar for provincial and ministerial officials held on January 20th. On the other hand, Dong Jun attended both the opening ceremony on the 20th and the closing ceremony on the 23rd.
After the fall of Li Shangfu, Dong Jun was appointed as the new Minister of National Defense on December 29, 2023. He became the first Minister of National Defense with a Navy background since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.
Many believe that Dong Jun’s promotion from Commander of the Navy to Minister of National Defense was recommended to Xi Jinping by Miao Hua, the Director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission. Dong Jun served under Miao Hua when he was the political commissar of the Navy. When Miao Hua became the Director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission, Dong Jun successively rose to the positions of Deputy Commander and then Commander of the Navy.
Both Miao Hua and He Weidong, members of the 20th Central Military Commission, are considered close associates of Xi Jinping in Fujian Province. They were expelled from the Party and the military in October of the previous year.
Additionally, as Dong Jun hails from Shandong Province, some speculations suggest that his promotion is linked to Xi Jinping’s wife, Peng Liyuan.
On November 27, 2024, the UK’s Financial Times reported that current and former US officials revealed that the Chinese authorities were investigating Defense Minister Dong Jun. However, during the following day’s routine press conference of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, spokesperson Wu Qian voluntarily announced that Miao Hua was “under investigation” but denied the claims that Dong Jun was being investigated.
Since assuming office as Minister of National Defense, Dong Jun has not been promoted to the positions of member of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China or State Councilor, making him the Defense Minister with the lowest status since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.