Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu salutes before delivering a speech in Singapore, on June 4. China has replaced Li, who has been out of public view for almost two months with little explanation, state media reported Oct. 24.Vincent Thian/The Associated Press
Two months after he disappeared from public view, sparking a storm of speculation, China announced Tuesday that it has fired defence minister Li Shangfu, without providing an explanation.
Mr. Li, a general in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who had enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks, was appointed to the top role in March but had not been seen in public since August. His dismissal follows that of foreign minister Qin Gang, who lasted eight months in that job before being officially sacked in July.
Both men were seen as close to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has packed the top ranks of the government and ruling Communist Party with loyalists in recent years.
Their removals in quick succession have prompted rumours about Mr. Xi’s grip on power or potential dissent within the top ranks of the party amid an increasingly shaky economic situation that many put down to Mr. Xi’s policies. They also both played key roles in Chinese foreign policy – Mr. Qin as the country’s top diplomat, and Mr. Li as the chief representative of the PLA.
In June, weeks before he disappeared, Mr. Li spoke at a forum in Singapore, where he had stern words for those who would challenge China militarily.
“When friends visit us, we welcome them with fine wine,” he said, quoting a Chinese proverb. “When jackals or wolves come, we will face them with shotguns.”
He also noted that U.S.-China relations were at a “record low since forming diplomatic ties” and said he hoped the two countries could “grow together.”
While he likely did not have such a situation in mind, Mr. Li’s removal could actually improve relations. The general has been under U.S. sanctions since 2018 for overseeing the purchase of weapons from Russia, and Beijing had said it would not hold minister-level defence meetings until those measures were lifted.
The announcement of Mr. Li’s firing comes on the same day that China has confirmed that Mr. Qin’s successor as foreign minister, Wang Yi, will be travelling to Washington next week, in what is widely seen as setting the stage for a summit between Mr. Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden in November.
Prior to being promoted to top military posts, Mr. Li spent most of his career in China’s space and rocket forces, a history that has been picked over in detail since July, when the two top commanders of the PLA Rocket Force, which oversees the country’s ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, were removed amid corruption allegations.
In September, Reuters reported that Mr. Li, too, was facing a graft investigation related to the procurement of military equipment, according to 10 people familiar with the matter.
Since coming to power a decade ago, Mr. Xi has cracked down ruthlessly on corruption, a campaign that critics say has enabled him to go after potential rivals in the party and dismantle independent cliques and power bases in institutions such as the PLA.
Mr. Xi has spoken repeatedly of the Chinese military’s need to modernize and “prepare for war,” all while emphasizing the party’s absolute control over the armed forces. Western officials have warned that the PLA could soon be capable of launching an invasion of Taiwan, the self-ruled territory that China claims as its own and has sworn to seize by force if necessary.
China also recently expanded its nuclear arsenal, building its stockpile of warheads to more than 500, the U.S. said last week. According to the Pentagon, Beijing hopes to double that to more than 1,000 by 2030.