Chinese Defense Minister General Li Shangfu has not been seen in public for weeks. US media reports, citing sources within the Chinese leadership, say General Li is under investigation for corruption and is on the verge of losing his position. This comes just months after Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang mysteriously disappeared from public view. Mint goes into more detail about the developments.
Li Shangfu and his role in the Chinese government
Li Shangfu, a career military officer, trained as an engineer and joined the People’s Liberation Army in 1982. Prior to his appointment as China’s defense minister in 2023, he served as deputy head of the Strategic Support Force, which focused on building the country’s space base. and cyber capabilities. “In that capacity, Li is likely to have played a key role in realigning China’s processes and standards in space and missile research, development and acquisition (RD&A), The Diplomat writes of General Li. He was also appointed to China’s State Council, an important political post and a member of the Central Military Commission, the country’s highest military decision-making body. However, Li is not the oldest soldier in the country.
Li Shangfu’s residence
According to reports, General Li was last seen in public on August 29. Since then he has missed important meetings, especially with his counterparts in Vietnam. A subsequent report in the Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, stated that General Li is under investigation for corruption and is on the verge of losing his job.
Has this happened before?
This comes just months after Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang disappeared in June. Then, as now, the disappearance was explained as a health-related incident. Minister Qin was subsequently removed from his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs, although he retains some of his political positions.
The Disappearance of Li Shangfu and Chinese Politics
General Li’s reported disappearance creates further instability for the Chinese military. In August, President Xi Jinping fired two senior commanders in charge of the PLA’s Rocket Force, which is charged with managing the country’s missile and nuclear arsenal. However, some experts believe this will not have a broader impact on Chinese politics. “If the ouster of the Defense Minister and Rocket Force leaders was the result of corruption, it indicates that Xi’s vetting process for selecting top officials is seriously flawed and suggests that corruption within the system is endemic despite Xi’s decade long campaign against it,” he said. Dennis Wilder, a former intelligence official, told the Financial Times.
