High-ranking military official in China placed under investigation

Beijing: China has suspended a high-ranking military official while he is being investigated, its Defence Ministry announced Thursday.

The official, Miao Hua, is director of the Political Work Department on the powerful Central Military Commission that oversees the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

He is one of five members of the body that oversees the world’s largest standing military, in addition to China’s leader Xi Jinping, who heads the commission.

Defence Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said Miao is under investigation for “serious violations of discipline,” which usually alludes to issues of corruption.

It is the third recent major shakeup for China’s defence establishment. In June, China announced that former Defence Minister Li Shangfu and his predecessor Wei Fenghe were accused of corruption and expelled from the party.

They were being investigated for corruption and bribery, after initially facing suspension.