China’s recent announcement involves the replacement of Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu, who has been absent from the public eye for nearly two months with limited explanation, according to state media reports on Tuesday.
This development follows the disappearance of another senior official, former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in July, with no clear reasons provided for his removal. Li, who assumed the role of defense minister in March, hasn’t been sighted since delivering a speech on August 29.
While the vanishing acts of both Qin and Li haven’t indicated any alterations in China’s foreign or defense policies, they have sparked inquiries about the resilience of President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s inner circle of authority.
Xi, known for prioritizing loyalty, has been actively combatting corruption in both public and private sectors, often perceived as a strategy to eliminate political rivals and strengthen his position amid a weakening economy and escalating tensions with the United States regarding trade, technology, and Taiwan.
Li faces U.S. sanctions due to his supervision of weapon acquisitions from Russia, which have resulted in his barring from entry into the United States. Consequently, China has severed communication with the U.S. military, primarily as a form of protest against U.S. armament sales to Taiwan, while strongly suggesting that Washington must lift the sanctions against Li, a demand Beijing refuses to acknowledge publicly.
