BEIJING - Speculation surrounding the fate of Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu – who has not been seen in public for more than two weeks – came to a head on Friday, as multiple reports emerged that he has been placed under investigation.
The latest revelations follow a recent shake-up of the Chinese military leadership over corruption allegations, and have raised doubts about the political future of General Li, who was promoted to China’s military high command barely a year ago.
A report from the Financial Times on Friday said that Gen Li – who was last seen in public in late August – was in trouble, citing US officials who believe that he was under investigation and has been stripped of his duties.
A later report said he was being investigated over procurement of military equipment. Gen Li served as chief of the Equipment Development Department from 2017 to 2022, and was appointed as defence minister in March 2023.
A post published on the department’s WeChat channel in July said it was carrying out an investigation into violations of equipment procurement rules, and called for the public to submit information on such activities that have taken place since October 2017.
Questions were earlier raised when scheduled meetings with Singaporean and Vietnamese officials had been called off.
Mr Rahm Emanuel, the United States’ Ambassador to Japan, posted on X on Friday that Gen Li was a “no-show for his trip to Vietnam” and “absent from his scheduled meeting with the Singaporean Chief of Navy”.
It is unclear which meeting the US diplomat was referring to, but Singapore’s Navy Chief, Rear-Admiral Sean Wat, had made an introductory trip to China from Sept 4 to 9, including to Beijing, where he met his navy counterparts.
Top commanders of foreign militaries often call on the defence minister during such official visits. Singapore’s Ministry of Defence had not responded by press time when asked to confirm the supposed meeting.
Reuters reported on Thursday that an annual meeting on border defence Gen Li was to have with Vietnamese officials a week ago had been postponed due to the minister having a “health condition”.
Gen Li’s absence follows abrupt leadership changes in the People’s Liberation Army – which observers believe is part of an ongoing corruption purge – but has also raised questions about political stability, coming soon after the removal of Mr Qin Gang as foreign minister in July after a month-long absence that was reportedly spurred by an alleged affair.
Prior to that, General Li Yuchao, the former commander of the Rocket Force unit, was not seen for months before he was replaced in July, along with his deputy. Rumours had swirled that he was taken away by the authorities for suspected espionage involving his son, who was studying in the US.
Asked about the leadership changes, China’s Defence Ministry spokesman, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, had said on Aug 31 that “we will investigate every case and crack down on every corrupt official”.
China’s Foreign Ministry did not provide further clarity as to Gen Li’s whereabouts on Friday. Asked why he had skipped the Vietnam meeting and if he was under investigation, the ministry’s spokeswoman Mao Ning said: “I am not aware of the situation you have described.”
China analyst Adam Ni, editor of China Neican, a newsletter on Chinese current affairs, believes the most likely reason for Gen Li’s absence is that he is on his way out of the political stage.
Both Mr Qin and Gen Li were accelerated through the promotional process under President Xi Jinping and yet both seem to have fallen, he told The Straits Times.
“The (latest) incident reflects two things: The lack of transparency of elite Chinese politics, and the ease at which high-level officials are removed at the whim of Mr Xi.”
