The Minister of National Defence, Dong Jun, is Facing Serious Issues and is Set to Be Replaced in January Next Year

The new Defence Minister, Dong Jun, may add new drama to the 46th image (prophecy) of the Tui Bei Tu. (Truth of the People provided the report.)

[People News] The high-level turmoil within the Chinese Communist Party's military continues, with significant events unfolding from early 2025 through the end of the year. Independent commentator Cai Shenkun disclosed on December 25 that not only has Zhong Shaojun, a close ally of CCP leader Xi Jinping, been taken away by the military disciplinary committee due to his deep involvement in the He Miao case, but Minister of National Defence Dong Jun has also been removed from his position. Whether he will face further investigation remains uncertain. Cai suggested that Dong Jun's position may be precarious, and he could ultimately lose his rank as a general.

The news of "Dong Jun's troubles" is not solely based on Cai Shenkun's revelations. On the same day, the self-media outlet "Shanhe Dongfu" reported in their program that the CCP convened a Politburo meeting on December 25, and the meeting's transcript indicated that "other matters were also discussed," including the decision to remove Dong Jun from his role as Minister of National Defence.

In the week leading up to this, rumours regarding Dong Jun's situation had been circulating frequently. For example, the self-media outlet "Hou Ge Zatan" reported on December 22 that the CCP's Military Commission had decided to expel Dong Jun from military service and revoke his rank as a naval general, with the military disciplinary committee initiating an investigation into his disciplinary issues.

Prominent political scholar Liu Junning revealed on the X platform on December 18 that the CCP's Minister of Defence is expected to be replaced in early January 2026.

Commentator Jiang Wangzheng, known for reporting on the movements of the CCP's high-ranking officials, disclosed on December 12 that "the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has officially launched an investigation into Dong Jun and Liu Zhenli. The main issues for these two are likely related to their substantial assets in Hong Kong." Jiang also noted that their presence at the Central Economic Work Conference does not guarantee their safety.

These individuals have gained attention for frequently exposing the downfalls of certain high-ranking officials in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), most of which have been later confirmed by the CCP, making their revelations particularly significant.

On December 22, however, Dong Jun was present at the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China’s promotion ceremony for generals, being the only general seated in the audience. Since taking over as Minister of Defence from the ousted Li Shangfu in December 2023, he has not been appointed as a State Councillor of the CCP or as a member of the Central Military Commission. Observers interpret this as a sign of Xi Jinping's diminishing power within the military. Rumours regarding his potential downfall had already begun circulating in the latter half of 2024. On November 26, 2024, the Financial Times reported, citing sources that included current and former U.S. officials, that the CCP authorities had initiated an investigation into Dong Jun. However, it was later confirmed by the CCP that it was Miao Hua who had been ousted, and both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence publicly denied the rumours surrounding Dong Jun, providing him with multiple public appearances as evidence.

Despite this, many observers believe that Dong Jun, who is affiliated with the Navy, cannot be entirely disconnected from Miao Hua. Residents of the military compound where Dong Jun lives have reported that he has indeed been questioned but was temporarily allowed to return home. Following this, Dong Jun also engaged in a strange act of appearing and then going missing.

In January 2025, Liu Zhenli, a member of the CCP's Military Commission and Chief of the Joint Staff Department, visited Malaysia and Indonesia. Initially, it was supposed to be Dong Jun who would visit these countries to meet with the defence ministers, but it ended up being Liu Zhenli. Some observers believe this may support the notion that Dong Jun's movements are being restricted.

After the conclusion of the CCP’s “Two Sessions,” on March 14, 2025, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) State Council Premier Li Qiang presided over a plenary meeting of the State Council. Defence Minister Dong Jun was conspicuously absent.

On March 26, the CCP Ministry of National Defence hosted the first Shanghai Cooperation Organisation International Military Cooperation Departments Meeting of 2025 in Qingdao, Shandong Province. Dong Jun, in his capacity as CCP defence minister, was again absent from this meeting.

Dong Jun spent many years working within the CCP Navy bureaucracy. During the period when Miao Hua served as Navy political commissar and later as a member of the Central Military Commission and director of the Political Work Department, Dong Jun was rapidly promoted. He successively rose to the ranks of rear admiral and full admiral, and was consecutively appointed deputy chief of staff of the Navy, deputy commander of the Southern Theatre Command, deputy commander of the Navy, commander of the Navy, and finally minister of national defence.

Since the beginning of 2025, upheaval at the top of the CCP military has been unrelenting. From Miao Hua to He Weidong to Qin Shutong, a total of nine full generals have fallen. Many of them had previously worked closely with Dong Jun. Moreover, within the CCP military’s airtight system, the use of brutal torture to force confessions from fallen officers is particularly vicious. As a result, there may be many people who have implicated Dong Jun—or who resent him for “staying out while others were taken down.” If something were to happen to Dong Jun by the end of the year, it would not be surprising at all. Even if he avoids formal punishment, his prospects are clearly grim.

However, if Dong Jun truly does fall, it is likely that the CCP would not announce it immediately. With several consecutive defence ministers already having run into trouble, combined with the collapse among active-duty full generals, an immediate announcement would completely destroy the party leader’s face. Judging from the CCP’s past handling of cases such as He Weidong and Miao Hua, those involved typically “disappear” from public view for a period of time before any official punishment is announced.

It is also worth noting that on December 24, the CCP officially announced that another eight senior officials from the military-industrial system had been stripped of their qualifications as members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. These include former Aero Engine Corporation chairman Cao Jianguo, former Satellite Network Group chairman Zhang Dongchen, and former China Electronics Information Industry Group chairman Zeng Yi, among others.

Independent political commentator Du Zheng previously wrote that Xi, the party leader, personally promoted 79 full generals, nearly half of whom have since fallen, making this an international laughingstock. The CCP military is now rife with wavering loyalties, with “military tigers” emerging in droves—essentially a scene of decay at the end of a red dynasty.

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