Chinese military shake-up continues as top official faces discipline probe

Miao Hua‚ who leads the Political Work Department has become the newest target in an anti-corruption drive; the investigation comes after several other military shake-ups this past year (including the removal of former defense minister Li Shangfu)

Reports about current Defense Minister Dong Jun being under investigation created confusion when US sources leaked this info - however Chinese officials quickly denied these claims: their direct denial suggests Dong isnt actually in trouble

The military clean-up reflects Xi Jinpingʼs long-term strategy — heʼs been targeting the armed forces since early in his rule. Military spending increases over last decade created lots of chances for corruption; from small-scale issues to big problems in groups like the Rocket Force

European nations are now dealing with a tricky situation in the Baltic Sea where they say a Chinese ship called Yi Peng 3 damaged some undersea cables. The vessel (which carries Russian fertilizer) is now surrounded by European ships; but proving what happened wont be easy

Officials in Hunan made an exciting announcement about finding what they say is the worlds biggest gold deposit - worth around $83-billion. However mining experts arent so sure about these claims; they think the actual amount that can be mined might be much smaller

The US just added new limits on selling memory chips to China focusing on AI-related tech. Chinese leaders dont seem too worried about this since they care more about:

• industrial tools
• basic software
• advanced materials
• research equipment
• seed development
• integrated circuits

A big economic meeting is coming up next week but dont expect any huge changes - Xi Jinping keeps focusing on security over growth these days