Chinese state media suggests retired general Guo Boxiong may be next to fall, after son comes under graft probe

State media named former Central Military Commission vice-chairman Guo Boxiong as it reported that his son, a People's Liberation Army general, was under investigation for graft, suggesting that the elder Guo might also be in trouble.

The defence ministry said on Monday that Guo Zhenggang, deputy political commissar of the Zhejiang Military Area Command, was one of 14 senior officers being probed for suspected "legal violations and criminal offences".

The Global Times, affiliated to party flagship paper, the People's Daily, said Guo Zhenggang, 45, a major general, is the son of Guo Boxiong, who served as CMC vice-chairman from 2003 to 2012.

It is rare, if not unprecedented, to publish a senior leader's name in relation to their relative's criminal case if they are not personally linked to it.

A commentary posted on the People's Daily's WeChat also suggested that the senior Guo might be in trouble, saying that there would be a bigger story after the junior Guo's arrest. "Bigger dramas are coming in the military's anti-graft fight," it said.

Other state media also highlighted the junior Guo's name in the list of 14 accused. The WeChat post said this suggested the news was not just about the junior Guo.