China unveiled the new head of the military command that manages the nation’s nuclear arsenal — which is reportedly the center of a graft investigation — in a brief state-media notice that announced he’d been promoted to general.
(Bloomberg) — China unveiled the new head of the military command that manages the nation’s nuclear arsenal — which is reportedly the center of a graft investigation — in a brief state-media notice that announced he’d been promoted to general.
Wang Houbin was promoted in a ceremony attended by President Xi Jinping, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday. The article called Wang the head of the People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force — a fact China hadn’t previously announced.
Last week, the South China Morning Post said the unit’s previous leader, Li Yuchao, was the subject of a corruption investigation. It wasn’t clear when Li was removed.
Xi — head of the Central Military Commission, which runs the world’s largest armed forces by number of active members — has recently made several calls to strengthen the governance of the military.
See: China’s Military Probes Slew of Graft Issues Going Back to 2017
Separately, China’s military last week launched an inquiry into corruption cases linked to hardware procurement going back more than five years.
The PLA’s Equipment Development Department listed eight issues it was looking into, including “leaking information on projects and army units” and helping certain companies secure bids.
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