China has suspended a senior military official as he is being investigated, according to the announcement from the Defence Ministry on Thursday.

Miao Hua is the director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission, which controls China's military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He is one of five members of the group that oversees the PLA, alongside Xi Jinping, who leads the commission. Wu Qian, a spokesman for the defence ministry, stated that Miao is being investigated for grave discipline infractions, which typically implicate corruption.

According to Wu Qian, spokesman for the defence ministry, Miao is being investigated for serious discipline violations, which often refer to corruption-related matters. This is the third major change in China's defence leadership recently. In June, China revealed that former Defense Minister Li Shangfu and his predecessor Wei Fenghe were accused of corruption and expelled from the Communist Party. They were under investigation for corruption and bribery after being suspended earlier. The ongoing investigation is unlikely to lead to major consequences, as Xi Jinping holds strong control over power.

While most countries would face some damage to their international reputation if there were frequent and high-profile personnel purges in their armed forces, China is different. According to James Char, a research fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies in Singapore, these purges can continue as long as the country's leader, Xi, approves of them. Xi was well-known for his multi-year anti-corruption drive during his first stint as Party Secretary, which brought down thousands of officials and many prominent political opponents. This has prompted some to claim that a large-scale purge of officers accused of plotting with foreign powers or of not being sufficiently loyal to Xi has taken place.

Xi Jinping has remained committed to his anti-corruption campaign throughout his leadership. High-ranking officials in China hold significant power, with both official and unofficial privileges. Miao is now under investigation, following reports that Defense Minister Dong Jun is also being investigated for corruption, according to the Financial Times. Miao holds a higher position than Dong, as his role in the Communist Party Commission is more influential than any government post, including that of defence minister. In China, Party positions are more powerful than government roles.

Experts suggest that a corruption investigation is not surprising, especially given the history of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). In the 1990s, the PLA was allowed to run businesses as part of China's economic reforms, which moved the country from a planned economy to a more market-based one. Miao rose through the military's political department and served as the political commissar of the PLA Navy. He was already a high-ranking official before Xi became president in 2012. Tiehlin Yan, deputy director at the Taiwan Center for Security Studies, who studies the PLA, said that if the investigation is about corruption, it's not surprising. In the 1990s, it was common for mid-level or senior officials to have some sort of misconduct. At the same time, Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu stated that Dong was not being investigated and called the newspaper report completely false.

When asked who China's defence minister was, Wu smiled, shrugged, and said, "Why ask this question again? I’ve already said many times: Minister Dong Jun."