Jiang Zhonghua
Jiang Zhonghua (Chinese: 姜中华; died 2 September 2014) was a rear admiral (shao jiang) of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China, who served as head of the armament department of the South Sea Fleet. He committed suicide in September 2014.
Jiang Zhonghua | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 姜中华 |
| Died | 2 September 2014 Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China |
| Allegiance |  |
| Service/ |  |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Unit | South Sea Fleet |
| Commands held | Head of the armament department of the South Sea Fleet |
Jiang was a native of Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province. He once served as Commander of the Yulin Naval Base in Hainan, where China's nuclear submarines are based.[1] In 2013, Jiang commanded the Chinese Escort Task Group 999 in the Gulf of Aden, which worked with the multinational Combined Task Force 151 to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia.[2]
On 2 September 2014, Jiang Zhonghua jumped to his death from Yidong Kaili Hotel (怡東凱麗酒店) in Zhoushan.[1][3] Jiang was believed to have come under investigation for corruption by the Central Discipline Inspection Commission, and may have committed suicide to avoid disgrace and allow his family to receive his retirement benefits,[4] or to avoid implicating his superiors.[5] There was no official announcement regarding his death.[1] About two months later, Vice Admiral Ma Faxiang committed suicide in Beijing under similar circumstances.[3] Both Jiang and Ma are thought to be connected to the corruption cases of the former vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission, Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong.[3][5]
References
- 洩密？南海艦隊少將傳跳樓亡. World Journal (in Chinese). 5 September 2014.
- "CTF 151 and Chinese Counter Piracy Force have friendly meeting at sea". Combined Maritime Forces. 27 November 2013.
- Lin Feng (17 November 2014). 解放军反腐压力增加, 海军副政委跳楼身亡. Voice of America (in Chinese).
- Jayadeva Ranade (6 June 2015). "Xi Jinping draws army into breath-restricting embrace". The Sunday Guardian.
- "PLA reshuffles linked to Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong: Duowei". China Times. 4 January 2015. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015.