BEIJING -- China has put a high-ranking military official under investigation, its Defense Ministry announced Thursday. The official, Miao Hua, is director of the Political Work Department, on the powerful Central Military Commission that overseas the People’s Liberation Army.

The suspension of Miao Hua, one of China's highest-ranking military officials, marks an escalation in leader Xi Jinping's campaign to tackle corruption.

China’s defense minister is under investigation for corruption in the latest graft scandal to hit the People’s Liberation Army. Dong Jun, who was appointed in December 2023, is the third consecutive serving or former defense minister to face investigation for alleged corruption; his predecessor Li Shangfu was ousted after just seven months.

China's Defence Minister, Dong Jun, is under investigation in a corruption probe involving the People's Liberation Army's top ranks. This marks the third consecutive defense minister investigated for corruption,

Miao Hua is director of the political work department of the CMC, which oversees China’s People’s Liberation Army.

China has placed a high-ranking military official under investigation, a Defense Ministry spokesperson says.

By Trevor Hunnicutt, Idrees Ali and Laurie Chen WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) -The fate of Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun remained unclear on Wednesday, as two U.S. officials told Reuters that he was being investigated for corruption while another urged caution.