BEIJING: China named Dong Jun as its new defence minister on Friday (Dec 29) to exchange the final minister who disappeared 4 months in the past.
The appointment by Chinese language lawmakers comes as President Xi Jinping upgrades the army as a part of his push to make China a dominant world energy, a aim that has alarmed many neighbours.
The position of China’s defence minister is to be the general public face of the Folks’s Liberation Military in its engagement with the media and with different militaries.
In contrast to different nations, the ministry has little say in defence coverage or army administration, areas that fall underneath the purview of Central Army Fee, an elite group led by Xi.
Dong, 62, was most not too long ago the Folks’s Liberation Military Navy chief. He replaces Li Shangfu, who took up the defence minister job in March however had not been seen in public since Aug 25.
Reuters cited sources to report that Li was underneath investigation for corruption associated to tools procurement and improvement.
Beijing has not defined Li’s disappearance however stripped him of his title as defence minister and state councillor in October.
