The opacity of Dong Jun’s appointment as Chinese defence minister

Earlier this week, Dong Jun, a former commander of the PLA Navy, was named as China's new defence minister. This is yet another example of how China's top administration functions in an opaque manner, writes ETV Bharat's Aroonim Bhuyan

New Delhi: In yet another manifestation of the opaque manner of the functioning of China's top administration, Dong Jun, a former Commander of the Chinese Navy, has been named as the country’s new defence minister.

The announcement of his appointment was made in the most subtle manner with Chinese state media Xinhua relegating it to the third paragraph of a news item on the concluding session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress. "The Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) concluded its seventh session Friday in Beijing," Xinhua report read.

"At the closing meeting, lawmakers voted to adopt a revised Company Law, a food security law, Amendment XII to the Criminal Law, and a decision to amend the Charity Law.

"They also adopted a decision to appoint Dong Jun as defence minister, to remove Tang Dengjie from the post of minister of civil affairs and appoint Lu Zhiyuan to the position, and to remove Hu Heping from the post of minister of culture and tourism and appoint Sun Yeli to the position."

Dong’s appointment comes after the mysterious disappearance of his predecessor Li Shangfu. Li has not been seen in public since August 29. This came close on the heels of former foreign minister Qin Gang disappearing from the public eye in June this year and his subsequent dismissal.

It was only two months later, on October 24, that China officially announced the dismissal of Li as the defence minister. Li, 65, was removed from the posts of State Councillor and national defence minister, and Qin was removed from the post of State Councillor, according to a decision adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

Li was last seen in public on August 29 when he delivered a keynote speech at a security forum with African nations in Beijing. Earlier that month, he had also visited Russia and Belarus. But after August 29, Li’s visit to Hanoi for an annual China-Vietnam meeting was cancelled and so was a scheduled meeting with a Singapore military official in China the same week. Vietnamese officials said that Beijing informed them that Li has a "health condition".

What had raised speculations about Li's sudden disappearance is the similar disappearance from the public eye of Qin in July this year. Qin was last seen in public when he held a meeting with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry in Beijing on June 25. After that, he completely disappeared from the public eye. Qin was replaced by his predecessor and director of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission Office Wang Yi.

Both Li and Qin were seen to be within the close circle of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has a reputation for valuing loyalty above all. However, Xi has relentlessly attacked corruption in public and private, sometimes in what has been seen as a method of eliminating political rivals and shoring up his political position amid a deteriorating economy and rising tensions with the United States over trade, technology and Taiwan.

Li was under US sanctions related to his overseeing weapons purchases from China. China had since cut off contacts with the US military, mainly in protest over Washington’s arms sales to Taiwan while also refusing to recognise the measures against Li.

Western observers believe that both Li and Qin have been put under Liuzhi, China’s system for extra-legal detention.

So, who is Dong Jun and why was he appointed as the new defence minister?

Dong Jun is a Chinese admiral of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). In 1978, Dong was admitted to the Dalian Naval Academy of the Navy. After graduation, he began his service with the Navy in 1979. He has successively served as the head of the military training department of the Chinese PLA Naval Command, the deputy chief of staff of the Beihai Fleet, and the commander of the Navy's 92269 unit.

In 2013, Dong was appointed deputy commander of the East Sea Fleet and held that office until December 2014, when he was appointed deputy chief of staff of the PLA Navy. In January 2017, he was promoted to deputy commander of Southern Theatre Command. In March 2021, he became deputy commander of the PLA Navy. He was named as the commander of the PLA Navy in September 2021. He was succeeded as commander by Hu Zhongming in December 2023.

Dong is China’s first defence minister coming from a naval background. What has helped in Dong’s appointment to the post is that he is not under sanctions.

Dong's proficiency in naval matters is crucial, given China's primary assertion of territorial claims through a diverse fleet comprising warships, coast guard cutters, and fishing boats, frequently operating as a maritime militia in the South China Sea. The expansion of China's naval activities to areas such as the Mediterranean Sea and South Africa is also worth noting. Additionally, the nation has bolstered its capabilities by integrating three aircraft carriers, numerous destroyers, nuclear-powered submarines, and cutting-edge vessels into its naval fleet.