China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs tried to sidestep speculation on Friday (15) about the whereabouts of the country’s defense minister, amid growing rumors that the recently promoted general is under investigation.
Li Shangfu, appointed defense minister in March, has not appeared in public for more than two weeks, fueling rumors about his whereabouts after a series of inexplicable personnel changes roiled the top brass of China’s Communist Party.
The Financial Times reported on Thursday (14) that the US government believes Li has been placed under investigation, citing US authorities.
The Wall Street Journal also reported – citing a person close to decision-making in Beijing – that Li was taken in last week by authorities for questioning. Neither report cites the reason for the investigation.
Asked about Li’s situation at a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said “I am not aware of the situation.”
Questions about Li’s whereabouts follow the unexplained disappearance of Qin Gang, who was removed as China’s foreign minister in late July after disappearing from public view for a month.
Qin, who was foreign minister for just seven months, retained the position of state councilor, an important post in China’s cabinet that Li also holds.
On Chinese military and government websites, Li is still listed as Defense Minister, State Councilor and member of the party’s Central Military Commission (CMC).
Li’s disappearance also comes weeks after a surprise change in the Chinese military. In July, the People’s Liberation Army replaced two leaders of its Rocket Force, an elite military branch that oversees the nation’s arsenal of nuclear and ballistic missiles.
The dismissed commander had not been seen for months.
Li’s absence was also noted in diplomatic circles. Last week, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that Li had not been seen in public for two weeks.
In his post, Emanuel said that “President Xi’s cabinet formation now resembles an Agatha Christie novel, And Then There Were None.” In free translation, the title means “There were none left”.
“First, Foreign Minister Qin Gang disappears. Then the Rocket Force commanders disappear and now Defense Minister Li Shangfu hasn’t been seen in public for two weeks,” he wrote with the hashtag “MysteryInBeijingBuilding.”
The disappearance of two high-level ministers in quick succession has raised questions about the governance of leader Xi Jinping, who has made China’s political system even more opaque as he concentrates power and imposes strict party discipline.
International repercussion
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defense are external interlocutors with the international community. They were potentially removed without any explanation or any regard for global perception,” Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, told CNN .
“This fuels the crisis of confidence in China, as well as highlighting the lack of transparency and completely opaque nature of decision-making in China”, he adds.
Before being promoted to Defense Minister, Li was head of the CMC’s Equipment Development Department, responsible for weapons acquisition, for five years starting in 2017. In that role, Li was sanctioned by the United States in 2018 for weapons purchases Russians by China.
In late July, the Equipment Development Department issued a notice requesting explanations for public complaints about corrupt procurement practices dating back to 2017, which coincides with the time Li was in charge of negotiations.
Li was last seen in public on August 29, when he gave a speech at the China-Africa Peace and Security Forum in Beijing.
He last traveled outside of China in mid-August on a trip to Russia and Belarus. In Moscow, Li met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Shoigu, and hailed military relations between China and Russia as “a model of cooperation.” In Minsk, he met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Two weeks out of public view is not unheard of for China’s defense minister, who typically has less frequent public engagements than the foreign minister. But the fact fuels speculation as it comes shortly after Qin’s disappearance and dismissal.
Last week, Li abruptly withdrew from an annual meeting with Vietnamese defense leaders along the two countries’ border, Reuters reported, citing Vietnamese officials.
The meeting was postponed after Beijing told Hanoi days before the event that Li had a “health problem,” Reuters cited two officials as saying.
Vietnam’s Defense Ministry said at a press conference last month that Li would lead a Chinese delegation to participate in the 8th Border Defense Friendship Exchange on September 7 and 8. There has been no official statement or media report from either side as to whether the meeting took place.
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Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
