China has sacked Defense Minister General Li Shangfu, who has been out of public view for almost two months, state media reported Tuesday. No further information was given, including news about Li’s replacement.
Li is the second senior Chinese official to disappear this year, following former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who was removed from office in July with no explanation offered.
Li, who became defense minister during a Cabinet reshuffle in March, hasn’t been seen since giving a speech on August 29.
There is no indication that the disappearances of Qin and Li signal a change in China’s foreign or defense policies, although they have raised questions about the resilience of president and ruling Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s circle of power.
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Xi has a reputation for valuing loyalty above all and has relentlessly attacked corruption in public and private, sometimes in what has been seen as a method of eliminating political rivals and shoring up his political position amid a deteriorating economy and rising tensions with United States over trade, technology, and Taiwan.
Li is under U.S. sanctions related to his overseeing weapon purchases from Russia that bar him from entering the country. China has since cut off contacts with the U.S. military, mainly in protest over U.S. arm sales to Taiwan, but also strongly implying that Washington must lift the measures against Li, which Beijing refuses to publicly recognize.
Li is not the only member of China’s defense apparatus to be ousted from office under mysterious circumstances. Four generals from the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, which controls China’s conventional and nuclear missiles, were removed from their posts over the summer, with no explanation given. Analysts suspect corruption allegations may have been behind the purge; if so, it’s possible Li was implicated as well. Li’s former post overseeing military acquisitions would have presented ample opportunities for illicit deals.
The announcement from state broadcaster CCTV said that both Li and Qin had been removed from the State Council, China’s Cabinet and the center of government power. That virtually assures the end of their political careers, although it remains unclear whether they will face prosecution or other legal sanctions.
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Qin had been replaced in the foreign minister post by his predecessor, Wang Yi, in July, but remained a member of the State Council until the latest announcement.
CCTV also announced Lan Fo’an’s new appointment as finance minister, and Yin He’jun as science and technology minister.
China’s political and legal systems remain highly opaque, fueling lively discussion of possible corruption, personal foibles or fallings-out with other powerful figures leading to the downfall of top officials.
Along with dealing with what appear to be internal political issues, the ruling party is struggling to revive an economy that has been severely impacted by the draconian “zero COVID” measures, an aging population, high unemployment among college graduates, and a movement of many of its wealthiest and best educated to more liberal societies abroad.
Having had his ideology, known as “Xi Jinping Thought,” enshrined in the party constitution and with the abolishment of presidential term limits, Xi has structured the system so that he may stay in power for the rest of his life. The 70-year-old also heads the party and state committees overseeing the People’s Liberation Army, the world’s largest standing military with more than 2 million personnel on active duty.
