The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress has fired the country’s defense minister. The reason for Li Shangfa’s dismissal was not specified.
China on Tuesday, October 24, officially fired Defense Minister Li Shangfu, two months after he disappeared from public life. No explanation was given for his removal, nor was his replacement announced. Thus, the PRC was left without a head of the defense department.
Mysterious disappearance
Li Shangfu became the second senior minister in China to lose his post in recent times without any official explanation. He was also removed as a member of the Central Military Commission, the top body headed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who ultimately heads China’s military. In addition, Shangfu was removed from his post by one of Jinping’s five state advisers.
All these decisions are made by China’s highest legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
Let’s remember that Li Shangfu has only served as Minister of Defense since March of this year, but after August 29, when he participated in a security forum in Beijing, he did not appear in public.
The general’s loss follows a series of confusing personnel changes that have shaken China’s top ranks, including the removal of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang in July.
career
Shanfu is an aerospace engineer who started his career at the Satellite and Rocket Launch Center. He had a smooth rise through the ranks of China’s military and political elite.
In 2018, when he headed the military equipment development department, he came under US government sanctions over the Chinese purchase of Russian combat aircraft and weapons. The sanctions were considered a deterrent for General Lee. Shanfu also found himself in an international row earlier this year when he refused to meet his US counterpart Lloyd Austin at a defense summit in Singapore.
Western media called Shangfu a favorite of the Chinese leader, but despite this, the official was very quickly stripped of all government titles.
Journalists also suggest that Shangfu could be an obstacle to the continuation of high-level military negotiations between China and the United States. After all, the announcement of his dismissal comes just days before a Pentagon delegation is scheduled to arrive in Beijing for a regional security forum, paving the way for a long-term high-level military dialogue between the two countries.
Suspicion of corruption
Weeks before Shangfu disappeared, Xi Jinping met with military leaders in Beijing, where he praised the party’s political honesty, discipline and “absolute leadership” over the military.
Days after that meeting, Xi fired two top generals of the PLA Rocket Force, the elite unit that controls the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile arsenal. This has raised concerns among officials about purges in China’s military.
The Chinese government has repeatedly refused to comment on Li Shangfu’s whereabouts or the reasons for his disappearance.
The Wall Street Journal, citing sources in Beijing, reported that in September the defense minister was taken in for interrogation. The Financial Times, citing American officials, added that the US government believes an investigation has begun against Li Shangfu in China.
Asked last month if Shangfu was indeed under investigation, a defense ministry spokesman said he was “not aware of the situation.”
Shangfu is believed to be a protégé of General Zhang Yuxia, Xi’s childhood friend and closest military ally. In a sign of importance, the Chinese leader promoted Yuxia as the first vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) during a leadership overhaul in October, even though she has passed the unofficial retirement age.
From 2017 to 2022, Shanfu was responsible for China’s arms procurement as head of CMC’s Equipment Development Department, a post previously held by Zhang Yuxu.
In July, days before the sudden removal of the two top generals, CMC’s Equipment Development Division announced a new crackdown on corrupt procurement practices, requiring the reporting of questionable activities dating back to 2017, coinciding with Shangfu’s time as head of the Division.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.