China has dismissed its defense minister from office after his bizarre disappearance from public view two months ago. His unexplained firing marks the latest in a string of Chinese leadership shakeups just this year.
Chinese state media announced the removal of Gen. Li Shangfu from office on Tuesday without explanation and without naming a replacement. He'd been under investigation for corruption, US officials told The New York Times, and had seemingly disappeared since his last public appearance in late August. In September, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said she had no information on Li's whereabouts or what he was up to.
Since being appointed defense minister in March, Li's most notable appearance came just four months ago at a forum in Singapore. While there, he slammed the US for imposing a "Cold War mentality" that was "greatly increasing security risks," adding that war with the US would be an "unbearable disaster" for the world.
Li's departure as the defense minister follows the dismissal of foreign minister Qin Gang from office in July, again with no explanation. And that same month, two top commanders in the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF), which oversees the country's nuclear and conventional missile strike capabilities, were also unexpectedly replaced.
The trend suggests President Xi Jinping is reshuffling both China's military and political ranks, possibly to tighten his grip on the People's Liberation Army, ruling Communist Party, and root out any corruption or potential challenge. But it's unclear what this means for confidence in Xi's leadership, especially amid his push for stronger national security due to increased tensions with the West.
Just weeks before Li disappeared from public view, Xi gathered military leadership in Beijing in July for a meeting on loyalty and the Communist Party's "absolute leadership" over the armed forces, which has been a recurring theme with regard to Chinese political influence over the military.
