But part of Xi's drive to improve his fighting force has been to stamp out corruption that has long plagued China's military and other state institutions.
A leader China's space and cyber warfare development and then head of military procurement, Li, 65, was elevated to defence minister in March.
He also has a more public role than others on the Central Military Commission, China's top defence body, commanded by Xi.
Li's term at the Central Military Commission highlighted his ties to Xi, who has strengthened his grip across the military.
A bigger question is what priority Beijing will continue to place on China's military diplomacy amid ongoing regional tensions.
Persons:
Li Shangfu, Li, Xi, Nancy Pelosi, Lloyd Austin, James Char, Russian Su, Zhang Youxia, Zhang, Laurie Chen, Greg Torode, John Geddie, William Mallard
Organizations:
Reuters, Central Military Commission, West, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Strategic Support Force, Equipment Development Department of, Communist Party Congress, Thomson
Locations:
BEIJING, United States, Taiwan, Beijing, Russia, Washington, U.S, Singapore, China, Belarus, Ukraine, Russian, Hong Kong