Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun on Thursday (December 5) appeared in public for the primary time since a report mentioned he was being investigated for corruption.
Dong was in Shanghai to attend a safety discussion board within the Gulf of Guinea, China’s state information company Xinhua mentioned on Thursday.
According to Xinhua, he met with the heads of delegations and expressed China’s willingness to cooperate with the armed forces of regional international locations to share duty for sustaining safety within the Gulf of Guinea.
A November 27 Financial Times article sparked hypothesis about Dong’s political destiny.
The report, which cites present and former US officers, mentioned the previous head of the People’s Liberation Army Navy is underneath investigation as a part of a broad anti-corruption probe.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning dismissed the report as “mere shadow looking.”
Two of Dong’s predecessors – Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe – have been expelled from the Chinese Communist Party.
In June this 12 months they have been reported to have dedicated “critical breaches of self-discipline”, a euphemism for corruption.
Beijing has stepped up its crackdown on alleged corruption within the army over the previous 12 months, with President Xi Jinping in November ordering the army to stamp out corruption and strengthen its “warfare preparation”.
SYSTEMATIC MARITIME COOPERATION
Thursday’s seminar, hosted by the People’s Liberation Army Navy, was attended by maritime leaders and protection attachés from 18 nations together with Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and Nigeria.
During the assembly, Dong reportedly known as for efforts to advertise systematic maritime cooperation.
He had additionally known as for efforts to hold ahead the normal friendship with international locations within the area and contribute to constructing an all-weather China-Africa neighborhood with a shared future for the brand new period.
Xinhua reported that the heads of delegation on the assembly expressed their willingness to strengthen mutual belief and deepen cooperation with China, in addition to collectively construct a protected, steady and affluent Gulf of Guinea.
