In the latest instance of a senior official disappearing from public view, Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu has not been seen for around three weeks in public amid an ongoing crackdown on corruption in the military, according to reports.
The disappearance coinciding with the crackdown has led to speculations whether Li has been detained as part of the crackdown.
The case of Li comes two months after the then-Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang was sacked from his ministerial berth after weeks of disapperance from the public. He was replace by his predecessor Wang Yi. There has been no information about his whereabout or any sighting of Qin since June.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping is known to rule with an iron first and has carried out routine purges through his decade-long rule of China. In the garb of removing corruption from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the government, he has also been accused to removing anyone who might pose a threat to his hold on the party or the country.
The speculation of Li's detention is further fuelled by the fact that he was for long associated with Chinese rocket forces and the rocket forces are currently undergoing a crackdown over corruption.
Who is Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu?
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Li Shangfu is the Defence Minister of China. He holds the rank of Lieutenant General in the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and effectively the Chinese national military.
Shangfu is an aerospace expert and had been appointed as the Defence Minister in March. Prior to the appointment, he was the head of satellite launch centre for a decade.
"An aerospace engineer who began his career at a satellite and rocket launch centre, Gen Li has had a smooth ascent through the ranks of the military and Chinese political elite," reported BBC News.
Foreign Policy's newsletter China Brief noted that Shangfu was earlier sanctioned by the United States in 2018 for a weapons deal with Russia. He was the director of the Chinese military’s equipment development department at the time.
What do we know of Li Shangfu's disappearance?
Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu has not been seen for around three weeks.
Li's disapperance is being related to the ongoing crackdown on corruption in the Chinese rocket force.
Li was last seen on 29 August when he gave a speech to the China-Africa peace and security forum and his last overseas trip was to Moscow and Minsk in mid-August, reported Guardian. Later, he cancelled a meeting with Vietnamese officials at the last minute last week.
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The Independent reported that Li's disapperance came after Chinese President Xi Jinping removed two two generals from the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, who oversaw the country's nuclear and missile arsenal. Separately, Guardian reported that former commander Li Yuchao had not been seen in public for weeks prior. Defence Minister Li is therefore only the latest from the rocket force circle to go missing.
"Li's background is in military procurement, logistics, and rockets — he headed the Xichang Satellite Launch Center for a decade; there is a decent chance he is connected to graft scandals inside the PLA Rocket Force," noted FP's China Brief newsletter.
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The Financial Times reported that the US government believes that Li is under investigation and that's the cause for his absence.
US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel wondered in a tweet whether Li is on a house arrest.
In a country with no free press and no institutional culture of transparency, it is uncertain if clarity would ever emerge how and why Li or others like him are made to vanish from public life.
