Li Shangfu hasn’t made a public appearance since late August and U.S. officials say the Chinese Defense Minister is being ousted from his post.
Li is the latest of several senior Chinese officials to disappear without explanation.
Photo: How Hwee Young/ShutterstockSINGAPORE—China removed its defense minister just seven months after he took the job, the second time in three months that Chinese leader Xi Jinping abruptly axed a minister he had handpicked for his third-term government.
Gen. Li Shangfu’s removal came eight weeks after his last public appearance, an absence that has fueled speculation about his fate and prompted Western officials to raise concerns about China’s increasingly opaque governance under Xi and the ruling Communist Party.
Persons:
Li Shangfu hasn’t, Li, Hwee, Xi Jinping, Li Shangfu’s, Xi
Organizations:
Chinese Defense, Western, Communist Party
Locations:
SINGAPORE, China