China names Dong Jun as new defence minister to replace ousted Li Shangfu
- Li was abruptly dismissed earlier this year without explanation, shortly after the ousting of foreign minister Qin Gang
- Dong Jun was previously head of the People’s Liberation Army Navy and is not on any US sanctions list – unlike his predecessor
Li’s ousting was confirmed at a similar meeting in October.
He disappeared from the public eye in late August and no reason has been given for his removal.
Li was the first Chinese defence minister to be placed on a US sanctions list – because of arms sales from Russia – and was the second government minister abruptly removed from his post this year.
He served in all major naval divisions in the PLA before becoming the navy’s top commander in 2021. He served in the Northern Sea Fleet, now a regular player in joint drills with the Russian navy; the Eastern Sea Fleet, which focuses on potential conflicts with Japan; as well as the Southern Command Theatre, which oversees the South China Sea.
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Dong led China’s joint naval military exercises with Russia in 2016 when he was the navy’s deputy chief of staff. He did so again in drills with Pakistan in 2020 while he was the deputy commander of the Southern Theatre Command, according to state media reports.
