Top Chinese Military Official Suspended Amid Anti-Corruption Campaign

BEIJING — China announced Thursday that Admiral Miao Hua, a senior official on the Central Military Commission (CMC), has been suspended and is under investigation for “serious violations of discipline.” The Defense Ministry also denied reports that Defense Minister Dong Jun is being investigated for corruption.

Admiral Miao, who has been the military's top political officer, is a prominent figure within the CMC, the highest-level military body in China. According to his official biography, he served in the coastal province of Fujian during the time President Xi Jinping was a local official there. Miao began his career in the army before moving into a key political role within the military.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian provided limited information during a monthly press briefing in Beijing, confirming Miao's investigation but declining to elaborate further.

China’s military has been the focus of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign since last year. The crackdown has led to the removal of at least nine People’s Liberation Army (PLA) generals and several executives from the defense industry, as well as high-profile expulsions of officials from the Communist Party.

Responding to speculation that Defense Minister Dong Jun is also under investigation, Wu dismissed the reports as “sheer fabrication” and accused the media of spreading rumors with malicious intent. The Financial Times had earlier cited current and former U.S. officials suggesting that Dong was part of the corruption probe.

Two U.S. officials told Reuters they believed Dong was being investigated for corruption, though another urged caution about reaching a conclusion. Dong recently declined to meet U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a defense ministers' meeting in Laos, citing U.S. actions over Taiwan. Austin called the decision “unfortunate.”

In the press briefing, Wu reiterated Dong’s reasoning, quoting him as saying that the United States had been “seriously undermining regional peace and stability.”

Dong was appointed defense minister in December 2023, succeeding Li Shangfu, who was removed after seven months in the role. Li and his predecessor, Wei Fenghe, were expelled from the Communist Party in June for “serious violations of discipline,” a term widely understood to indicate corruption.

The Pentagon’s latest report on China’s military, released in October 2023, noted that Miao Hua “may have ties” to Xi Jinping from his time in Fujian, further highlighting the complex dynamics within China's military and political hierarchy.