China has removed Defence Minister Li Shangfu (left) and former foreign minister Qin Gang was also removed from his position as state councillor. _ AFP/ REUTERS
BEIJING (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): China has sacked Defence Minister Li Shangfu, reported state broadcaster CCTV, a month after multiple reports said that he had been placed under investigation. He has been absent from public view without explanation for two months.
In an announcement during the evening news broadcast on Tuesday (Oct 24), it was announced that General Li had been removed from his position as State Councillor and Defence Minister following a decision by the country’s top lawmaking body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.
No replacement for Gen Li was announced and no reason was given for the changes.
Former foreign minister Qin Gang was also stripped of his state councillor titles - a Cabinet position that ranks below vice-premiers and above ministers, the news broadcast reported.
No reasons were given for the changes, the second such leadership shake up in recent months after Qin was sacked as foreign minister in July. No new defence minister has been appointed.
Gen Li’s removal comes just before a high-level security forum is scheduled to take place in Beijing from Oct 29 to 31. China’s defence minister typically plays a key role at the event – the Xiangshan Forum – in speaking at the opening ceremony and hosting foreign counterparts.
US-sanctioned Gen Li, a former chief of the Equipment Development Department, spent just over half a year as defence minister. Analysts have raised questions about political stability in China after Qin was removed in July after a month-long absence.
Gen Li’s removal also follows recent abrupt leadership changes in the People’s Liberation Army - which is seen as part of an ongoing corruption purge that has implicated the top leadership of its elite Rocket Force unit.
The unit’s former commander, General Li Yuchao, was not seen for months before he was replaced in July, along with his deputy.
On China’s Ministry of Defence website, Gen Li Shangfu’s last reported activity was at the Third China-Africa Peace and Security Forum held in Beijing on Aug 29, where he delivered a keynote speech.
He subsequently disappeared from public view, and missed several meetings with foreign counterparts, including with Vietnamese and Singaporean military leaders. But he remains on both the state and Communist Party of China Central Military Commissions, the military’s top decision-making bodies.
