BEIJING (AP) 鈥� China has suspended a high-ranking military official while he is being investigated, its Defense Ministry announced Thursday.
The official, Miao Hua, is director of the Political Work Department on the powerful Central Military Commission that oversees the People鈥檚 Liberation Army (PLA). He is one of five members of the body that oversees the world鈥檚 largest standing military, in addition to China鈥檚 leader Xi Jinping, who heads the commission.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said Miao is under investigation for 鈥渟erious violations of discipline,鈥� which usually alludes to issues of corruption.
This is the third recent major shakeup for China鈥檚 defense establishment. In June, were accused of corruption and expelled from the party. They were being investigated for corruption and bribery, after initially facing suspension.
In Xi's first term as Party Secretary, he was known for a multi-year campaign against corruption that has brought down numerous high-profile political rivals, and thousands of officials. This has led some to allege a widespread purge of officers suspected of conspiring with outside forces or simply being insufficiently loyal to Xi.
Xi's dedication to his anti-corruption campaign has continued throughout his rule. High-ranking officers occupy an elevated position in Chinese politics and can command extensive privileges, official and unofficial.
Miao being placed under investigation comes after the Financial Times reported that Defense Minister Dong Jun was under investigation for corruption.
Miao's position on the commission, which is a Communist Party committee, outranks Dong and anyone who holds the position of defense minister, as Communist Party positions are more powerful than government institutions in China.
Experts say a possible corruption investigation would not be a surprise, given the PLA鈥檚 history.
In the 1990鈥檚, the PLA was allowed to run businesses as the country opened up during the 鈥渞eform and opening up鈥� period, when the country stopped many of its planned economic policies and transitioned to a more market-based economy.
Miao has come up through the political department in the military and had served as the political commissar of the PLA鈥檚 Navy. He was already fairly senior before Xi came to power in 2012.
鈥淚f the investigation is about corruption, it鈥檚 not out of line with people鈥檚 expectations,鈥� said Tiehlin Yan, deputy director at the Taiwan Center for Security Studies, who studied the PLA. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very difficult for anyone not to have have blemishes if you were a mid-level or senior cadre in the 1990鈥檚.鈥�
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu, said Dong was not under any investigation and called the newspaper report a 鈥渟heer fabrication.鈥�
In response to a question about who China鈥檚 defense minister was, Wu smiled and raised his hands in a shrug.
鈥淲hy do you ask this nonsensical question? I just said this many times: Minister Dong Jun.鈥�
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This version has corrected the official's name to Hua not Li.
Dake Kang And Huizhong Wu, The Associated Press
