The ruling Chinese Communist Party “has decided to suspend Miao Hua from duty pending investigation”, Wu Qian, a spokesman for Beijing’s defence ministry, told a press briefing.

Wu did not provide further details about the charges against Miao, an admiral and member of Beijing’s powerful Central Military Commission.

But “serious violations of discipline” are commonly used by officials in China as a euphemism for corruption.

Beijing has deepened a crackdown on alleged graft in the armed forces over the past year, with President Xi Jinping this month ordering the military to stamp out corruption and strengthen its “war-preparedness”.

The intensity of the anti-graft drive in the army has been partially driven by fears that it may affect China’s ability to wage a future war, Bloomberg reported citing US officials this year.

The announcement follows reports, unconfirmed by Beijing, that Defence Minister Dong Jun has been placed under investigation for corruption.

If confirmed, Dong would be the third Chinese defence minister in a row to be probed for graft.

Asked about the report at a regular briefing on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said it was just “chasing shadows”, and did not offer further information.

A former navy commander, he was appointed defence minister in December following the surprise removal of predecessor Li Shangfu just seven months into the job.

Li was later expelled from the ruling Communist Party for offences including suspected bribery, state media said. He has not been seen in public since.

His predecessor, Wei Fenghe, was also kicked out of the party and passed on to prosecutors over alleged corruption.

The country’s secretive Rocket Force — which oversees China’s vast arsenal of strategic missiles, both conventional and nuclear — has come under particularly intense scrutiny.

In July, a top Chinese official in the Rocket Force, Sun Jinming, was placed under investigation for corruption.