WASHINGTON – The US believes Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu is the subject of an investigation and has been relieved of his duties, the Financial Times reported, a sign of potential further upheaval in President Xi Jinping’s government less than a year into his third term.
The report cited three US officials and two people briefed on the intelligence as saying the US has made the determination. It did not describe the nature of the probe.
China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday morning (local time) before business hours.
Last week, Mr Xi called for a “a high degree of unity” in the People’s Liberation Army, as rumours swirled about the Defence Minister in diplomatic circles.
China’s military in July launched a corruption probe into hardware procurement going back to October 2017, without saying why that date was significant.
Mr Li headed the equipment department from September 2017 to 2022, though the government has given no indication that he is suspected of wrongdoing.
Speculation over Mr Li’s absence follows a series of abrupt personnel moves in the upper echelons of Chinese power.
In August, Mr Xi abruptly purged two generals leading the secretive rocket force, which manages the country’s nuclear arsenal, without explanation.
That came weeks after the Chinese leader stunned the world by ousting Mr Qin Gang from the role of foreign minister, just seven months into that job.
Mr Rahm Emanuel, the US Ambassador to Japan, recently linked Mr Li to those unexplained moves, saying in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that the Communist Party official had not been seen in public for two weeks.
When asked about Mr Emanuel’s post, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said she was “not aware of the situation”.
Mr Li last made a public appearance on Aug 29, when he delivered a keynote speech at the 3rd China-Africa Peace and Security Forum in Beijing.
He also travelled to Russia and Belarus in mid-August. He called China’s military relationship with Russia a “model for cooperation” during a security conference in Moscow.
Mr Li was schedule to attend an annual meeting with Vietnamese defence leaders last week but cancelled at short notice, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing three officials with direct knowledge of the matter.
Beijing cited a “health condition” for the minister’s absence, two Vietnamese officials said.
The minister’s removal could be a boon for the US: Mr Li is the subject of sanctions the Trump administration imposed in 2018, after he oversaw an arms purchase from Russia.
That has impeded US efforts to restart top-level military contact severed after then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022. The lack of communication has raised concern about an accident potentially setting off a conflict.
Unlike China’s foreign minister, who makes public appearances roughly once a week, the defence minister typically has a less public profile. BLOOMBERG
