One sentence summary – China’s Defense Minister, Gen Li Shangfu, has been missing for three weeks amid an investigation into corrupt procurement of military equipment, raising questions about the ongoing anti-corruption campaign and the vetting process for senior appointments under President Xi Jinping’s leadership.
At a glance
- China’s Defense Minister, Gen Li Shangfu, has been missing for the past three weeks.
- Li, along with eight other senior officials, is currently under investigation for corrupt procurement of military equipment.
- Beijing has refused to comment on Li’s disappearance and multiple scheduled meetings with foreign defense officials have been canceled.
- Li’s disappearance may indicate that the ongoing anti-corruption campaign is targeting a protege of President Xi Jinping.
- The possibility of corruption within the higher ranks of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) cannot be ignored, especially due to the ongoing anti-corruption campaign.
The details
China’s Defense Minister, Gen Li Shangfu, has been missing for the past three weeks.
There has been no official confirmation about his whereabouts.
Li, along with eight other senior officials, is currently under investigation.
The investigation is for corrupt procurement of military equipment.
Beijing has refused to comment on Li’s disappearance.
Multiple scheduled meetings with foreign defense officials have been canceled by Beijing.
Li was appointed to his position in March.
His disappearance comes less than a year after his promotion by President Xi Jinping.
This situation indicates that the ongoing anti-corruption campaign may target a protege of Xi Jinping.
Xi Jinping has replaced most of the top-level party officials with his allies and loyalists.
The possibility of corruption within the higher ranks of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) cannot be ignored.
This is particularly due to the ongoing anti-corruption campaign that focuses on party rectification.
The campaign aims to identify and eliminate any elements that are considered impure.
It also aims to ensure the development of a disciplined and effective party.
The military’s equipment department has been investigating corruption and the formation of private cliques since 2017.
During Li’s tenure as the head of the military equipment division, the United States imposed sanctions on him.
These sanctions were for his involvement in the purchase of weapons from Russia.
This sanction may have inadvertently boosted Li’s career.
Beijing could leverage his position as defense minister to call for the lifting of these sanctions.
The sudden and unexplained disappearance of Gen Li Shangfu brings attention to the opaque and potentially flawed vetting process for senior appointments under Xi Jinping’s leadership.
The Xiangshan Forum, a defense meeting scheduled for next month, will be closely watched.
Observers will be looking to see if Li reappears or if a new defense minister is announced.
All the information provided is derived from multiple sources.
It should be verified through official channels to ensure accuracy.
Article X-ray
Here are all the sources used to create this article:
A silhouette of a military uniform hanging on a coat rack, with a faint beam of light shining through a nearby window.
This section links each of the article’s facts back to its original source.
If you have any suspicions that false information is present in the article, you can use this section to investigate where it came from.
| theguardian.com |
|---|
| – Gen Li Shangfu, China’s defence minister, has been missing for three weeks with no official confirmation of his whereabouts. |
| – Li and eight other senior officials are under investigation for corrupt procurement of military equipment. – Beijing has refused to comment on Li’s whereabouts and has cancelled multiple scheduled meetings with foreign defence officials. |
| – |
| Li’s disappearance is notable because he was only appointed in March and has run into trouble less than a year after being promoted by Xi Jinping. – Xi has replaced most of the people at the highest level of the party with allies and loyalists, so whoever he takes down now will be a Xi protege. |
| – Corruption at the highest levels of the People’s Liberation Army is possible due to the anti-corruption campaign focusing on party rectification. – High-level disappearances are expected as the party constantly looks for and eliminates impure elements to build a disciplined and effective party. – |
| The military’s equipment department has been investigating corruption and the formation of private cliques since 2017. |
| – Li’s time as head of the military equipment division resulted in sanctions from the US for his involvement in purchasing weapons from Russia. |
| – Li being subject to US sanctions may have boosted his career as Beijing could use his position as defence minister to call for sanctions to be lifted. |
| – Li’s sudden disappearance highlights the opaque and potentially flawed vetting process for senior appointments under Xi’s rule. – |
| The Xiangshan Forum, a defence meeting scheduled for next month, will be closely watched to see if Li appears or if a new defence minister is announced. |
English 
Portuguese 
Turkish 
Chinese 
German