Second woman PLA major general under corruption investigation

Another of the few women in the elite ranks of the Chinese military has come under investigation for alleged corruption, according to sources close to the People's Liberation Army.

PLA major general Dong Youxin, 54, who is deputy director of the Information Department of the PLA's General Staff Department and a vice-president of the All-China Women's Federation, was detained by the military's anti-graft watchdog for allegedly taking 7 million yuan (HK$8.86 million) in bribes, one of the sources said.

Dong is the second woman general to be targeted within seven months by President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption crackdown; the first was Gao Xiaoyan, former deputy commissar of the PLA Information Engineering University in Zhengzhou, Henan province.

The PLA Daily reported that Gao, 58, came under investigation in December for taking bribes. Dong and Gao were promoted to major general along with another woman, Feng Yanchun, in June, 2012.

Dong, a native of Henan, was elected as vice-president of the federation in November, 2013 at the 11th National Women's Congress, the federation's website said, showing that she retains her official title with the organisation.

A source close to the Jinan military area command said that both Dong and Gao were seen as members of the PLA's "Henan Gang", allegedly led by General Jia Tingan.