China on Friday appointed a naval commander with experience in the South China Sea as its minister of defense, filling a monthslong vacancy created by the unexplained disappearance of the previous minister, who appeared to have fallen in an investigation into possible corruption or other misdeeds.
In China's military hierarchy, which is controlled by the Communist Party, defense minister is not one of the most powerful posts. Instead, the minister serves as the People's Liberation Army's chief foreign liaison officer, meeting visiting military delegations and giving China's views at forums such as the annual Shangri-La Dialogue defense forum in Singapore.
[
Collection
]
[
|
...
]