China’s Defence Minister Li Shangfu skips first event since graft reports
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General Li Shangfu, who also holds the title of state councillor, was not among the participants of a Politburo study session on Wednesday.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BEIJING – Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu mysteriously missed a key meeting attended by President Xi Jinping, bolstering reports that he is being investigated for corruption and has been removed from his role.
General Li, who also holds the title of state councillor, was not among the participants of a Politburo study session on Wednesday, according to video footage of the gathering on state broadcaster China Central Television.
While China’s five state councillors do not always attend the typically monthly sessions of the Communist Party’s top decision-making body, the other three officials in that role were present. Gen Li attended a similar meeting on June 30.
Mr Qin Gang, who has kept his state councillor status after being removed as foreign minister in July without explanation, was also absent from Wednesday’s meeting.
State councillors rank just below vice-premier in China’s political system, and do not automatically hold a seat on the Politburo.
Gen Li’s absence marked the first time he has missed an event he was expected to attend, since United States officials earlier in September said they had intelligence indicating he had been removed from his post.
China has not commented on the former aerospace engineer’s status, but the authorities are probing the military equipment procurement department for a date range overlapping with Gen Li’s tenure as its head.
The defence chief has not been seen in public since Aug 29, adding to signs of turbulence in Mr Xi’s government less than a year into his third term.
That has been a concern for investors already worried about China’s economic slowdown,
As defence minister, Gen Li’s job involves liaising with foreign militaries.
The 65-year-old was sanctioned by Washington in 2018 for allegedly aiding in the transfer of Russian weapons to China.
Those sanctions have prevented Gen Li from meeting US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, with China making its removal a condition for any such exchange.
Gen Li’s disappearance and Mr Qin’s ouster – along with the replacement of the two most senior leaders in the People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force overseeing China’s nuclear arsenal – have been fodder for Mr Xi’s critics.
“President Xi’s Cabinet line-up is now resembling Agatha Christie’s novel And Then There Were None,” US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. BLOOMBERG
