A spokesman for Beijing’s defence ministry, Wu Quian told a press briefing that the ruling Chinese Communist Party has decided to suspend Miao Hua from duty pending investigation.
Wu did not provide further details about the charges against Miao, an admiral and a member of Beijing’s powerful Central Military Commission ,CMC, but serious violations of discipline are commonly used by officials in China as a euphemism for corruption.
Miao sat on China’s Central Military Commission alongside five other men, including President Xi Jinping at the top. He headed the CMC’s Political Work Department, the top military body’s most important office.
Miao has been described as a close ally of Xi and a trusted interlocutor between the military and the party by Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society.
Beijing has deepened a crackdown on alleged graft in the armed forces over the past year, with Xi this month ordering the military to stamp out corruption and strengthen its “war-preparedness”.
The intensity of the anti-graft drive in the military has been partially driven by fears that it may affect China’s ability to wage a future war, Bloomberg reported citing US officials this year.
The removal of Miao reveals the endurance of corruption and discipline issues across the system in the PLA, despite the strong efforts made by Xi.