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Beijing CNN —China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu was fired on Tuesday two months after he disappeared from public view, becoming the second high-profile minister to lose his job recently without any official explanation. Li, who was appointed defense minister in March, has not been seen in public since late August, fueling intense speculation about his fate. Li’s ousting, ironically, has removed a major roadblock for the resumption of high-level military talks between China and the United States. The Financial Times also reported that the US government believes the defense minister has been placed under investigation, citing American officials. Li is believed to be a protege of General Zhang Youxia, Xi’s childhood friend and closest ally in the military.

Persons: Li Shangfu, Li, Xi Jinping, –, outranks, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi, Li’s, won’t, “, General Zhang Youxia, Zhang Organizations: Beijing CNN — China’s, Central Military, National People’s Congress, Foreign, Qin, Communist, of, People, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, PLA Rocket Force, Street Journal, The Financial Times, Defense Ministry, Central Military Commission, Development Department, Rocket Force, Equipment Development Department, Security Forum Locations: Beijing, China, United States, Sichuan, Africa, Russia, Belarus

☆ China's fighter jet fleet is growing in size and appears to have made a big jump in capability, new Pentagon report shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

US Department of Defense released its annual China Military Power Report to Congress last week. The Chinese fighter jet fleet appears to have not only grown in size but, more importantly, also in overall capability. AdvertisementAdvertisementA new report from the Pentagon details China's expanding military power, including the growth of its fighter jet fleet, which appears to have also experienced a jump in capability. The Pentagon's report notes that China's fighter jet fleet has both expanded and apparently improved. CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty ImagesExamples of China's fourth-generation fighter aircraft include the Chengdu J-10, Shenyang J-16, and Shenyang J-15.

Persons: —, Xi, Liu Dawei, they've, Matthew P, Funaiole Organizations: of Defense, China, Service, US Department of Defense, People's Liberation Army, PLA, PLA Air Force, PLA Navy, PLAN, PLAN Aviation, DoD, The Air Force, Air, Air Force Aviation University, CFOTO, Publishing, Getty, Shenyang J, 14th China International Aviation, Aerospace Exhibition, Pentagon, China Power Project, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: People's Republic of China, China, United States, Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Fujian, Chengdu, Shenyang, Chinese, Liaoning, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, Xinhua, Russian

☆ China could strike far more than just flattops with its growing arsenal of 'carrier-killer' missiles, defense expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In the update, the Pentagon assesses China bolstered its missile stockpiles, specifically its DF-26 supply. The report shows that in 2022, China increased the number of intermediate-range ballistic missiles from 300 in 2021 to 500. "Numbers like that could change the DF-26 from a 'carrier killer' to just a 'ship killer,'" he said. The Pentagon said that in 2020 China "fired anti-ship ballistic missiles against a moving target in the South China Sea, but has not acknowledged doing so." DF-26 missiles attend the military parade in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 3, 2015.

Persons: —, Theodore Roosevelt, I've, Tom Shugart, who's, Shugart Organizations: US Department of Defense, China, Pentagon, Service, China's, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, titans, U.S . Navy, Getty, US, Center, New, New American Security, US Navy, Western Pacific, PLA Locations: China, Republic, Guam, New American, South China, Ruoqiang, South, Western, Taiwan, Japan, Beijing, Xinhua

☆ Pentagon warns about China’s growing long-range missile arsenal in major report
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The 2023 China Military Power report, released annually by the Defense Department, said that Beijing has also completed the construction of three new fields of long-range ballistic missiles silos as it builds out its options for delivering a nuclear warhead from different platforms. China uses its military might to assert its claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea and beyond, including Taiwan. In 2022, the Chinese military increased its aggressive actions towards the independent island territory, including ballistic missile overflights, military aircraft flying into Taiwan’s aerial identification zone and major exercises near Taiwan. The growing aggression isn’t only pointed at Taiwan or China’s neighbors. Chinese military pilots have ramped up their “coercive and risky” behavior against US aircraft flying over the East and South China in the last two years.

Persons: ”, Xi Jinping, ” Ely Ratner, “, Aquilino Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, Defense Department, National Defense Strategy, America, East, Defense, Pacific Security Affairs, PLA, PLA’s Joint Staff Department Locations: China, United States, Beijing, South, Taiwan, South China, Fiji

☆ With a trove of declassified images, the US is shining a light on risky Chinese maneuvers it says could lead to war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The US has released a trove of declassified photos and videos of Chinese intercepts of US aircraft. Risky intercepts have caused accidents before, and there's growing fear an accident now could lead to war. AdvertisementAdvertisementA Chinese jet during "a coercive and risky" intercept of US plane over the East China Sea in April 2022. AdvertisementAdvertisementA Chinese jet during "a coercive and risky" intercept of a US plane over the South China Sea in June 2022. A Chinese jet conducting "a coercive and risky" intercept of a US plane over the South China Sea in January 2022.

Persons: —, Ely Ratner, That's, Ratner, Iain Huddleston, John Aquilino, Aquilino, Liu Pengyu, Liu, Lloyd Austin, I've, Michael Chase, Chase, Amanda Hsiao, Hsiao, Xi Jinping Organizations: US, Service, US Defense Department, US Air Force, Pacific Command, Pentagon, PLA, Canadian, Canadian Air Division, Canadian NORAD, People's Liberation Army, Embassy, Washington DC, Southern Theater, Maritime, US Defense Department Experts, China, Crisis, US Defense Department China, South China Locations: China, East China, North Korea, South, East, Washington, Beijing

To underscore the pattern, the Pentagon released previously nonpublic photos and videos of Chinese fighter jets intercepting US aircraft flying in international airspace. The images, which date back to January 2022, show Chinese fighter jets getting dangerously close to US military jets in international airspace in an attempt to “intimidate” them, the Pentagon said in a statement about the incidents. Some of the Chinese fighter jets came within 20 feet of the US planes, the videos show. Office of the Secretary of Defense Public AffairsThe photos and videos also show the Chinese jets releasing objects and projectiles, including flares. But the Pentagon’s efforts this year to engage with Chinese military leadership have gone unanswered, and US officials have grown increasingly concerned about the lack of military-to-military dialogue between the countries.

Persons: ”, Ely Ratner, ” Ratner, Austin, Adm, John Aquilino, Defense Lloyd Austin, “, Wei Fenghe, Nancy Pelosi, “ I’ve, ” Aquilino Organizations: CNN, US, East, South China, Pacific Security Affairs, Pentagon, PLA, Defense Public Affairs, People’s, Army, Defense, National Defense, Military, Security, China Locations: South, “, People’s Republic of China, Beijing, Taiwan

REUTERS/Wu Hong/Pool/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW/BEIJING, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China this week to meet Xi Jinping, the Kremlin chief's first trip outside the former Soviet Union this year. What are the five things to watch for at the meeting? Li was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 for an arms deal he secured with Russia in an earlier role. Xi also awarded Putin a friendship medal in 2018, saying that "Putin is my best close friend". Putin said in March that he had invited Xi to his private apartment in the Kremlin.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Wu Hong, Li Shangfu, Li, General Liu Zhenli, Putin, Xi, Alexei Miller, Igor Sechin, Maxim Reshetnikov, Guy Faulconbridge, Alison Williams Organizations: Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center, REUTERS, Kremlin, Russia, People's Liberation Army, PLA, U.S . Department of Defence, China, United, Gazprom, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, MOSCOW, BEIJING, Soviet Union, U.S, Russia, Xiapu, Ukraine, United States, India, Moscow, Kremlin, Siberia, Mongolia, Asia, Germany

WASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. says it has accepted an invitation to attend China's top annual security forum in late October, the latest sign of potentially warming ties between the two countries' militaries. The Pentagon did not say whom China had invited or who from the U.S. side would attend, and China's embassy in Washington also declined to give details. Before 2019, the U.S. often sent embassy defense attaches. CHINA'S DEFENSE MINISTERAs China's defense minister, Li typically would give a keynote speech at the forum and meet with delegations. Beijing has offered no official explanation about Li's fate and his disappearance raises questions about how this year's forum will be conducted.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Austin, Li Shangfu, Nancy Pelosi's, China, China Chad Sbragia, Li, Sbragia, –, Xi, Liu Pengyu, Michael Martina, Idrees Ali, Don Durfee, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S, Pentagon, Reuters, China's People's Liberation Army, PLA, Beijing Xiangshan, Defense, Xi Jinping's Global Security Initiative, Washington, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington, China, Beijing, United States, Taiwan, Russia, Austin

☆ Inside Asia's arms race: China near 'breakthroughs' with nuclear-armed submarines, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Greg Torode | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

But the Type 094s, which carry China's most advanced submarine-launched JL-3 missile, are considered relatively noisy - a major handicap for military submarines. The paper notes that the Type 096 submarine will compare to state-of-the-art Russian submarines in terms of stealth, sensors and weapons. That puts construction on schedule to have the boats operational by 2030, the timeline stated in the Pentagon's annual reports on China's military. Even if China's submarine force reaches technological parity, it will need to train aggressively and intensively over the next decade to match AUKUS capabilities, he added. Vasily Kashin, a Moscow-based Chinese military scholar at HSE University, said it was possible Chinese engineers had made the breakthroughs described in the report.

Persons: Jason Lee, Christopher Carlson, Carlson, Collin Koh, Koh, Alexander Neill, Neill, Vasily Kashin, Kashin, Greg Torode, Guy Faulconbridge, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Liberation Army Navy, REUTERS, Research, U.S . Naval War College, China Maritime Studies, U.S . Navy, Pentagon, U.S, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Reuters, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, New Zealand, Hawaii's, HSE University, Thomson Locations: Qingdao, China, HONG KONG, Russian, Asia, Hainan, South China, United States, Britain, Russia, France, Singapore, Soviet, Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, India, South Korea, New, U.S, British, Western Australia, Moscow, Soviet Union, Beijing

☆ Cartoon elves and scrolls visualize Chinese military’s goal of Taiwan ‘reunification’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It has long vowed to “reunify” Taiwan with the Chinese mainland, by force if necessary. The Chinese painting "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" displayed in its entirety in the National Palace Museum Taipei on June 1, 2011. As a result, the scroll has long been seen as a living symbol of the division between China and Taiwan. Visitors look at "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" at the National Palace Museum Taipei on June 1, 2011. The “Escape from the British Museum” series “has struck a chord in people’s hearts and reflects the deep patriotic sentiments,” said one article in the state-run tabloid Global Times.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, “, Patrick lin, Huang Gongwang, —, Shi Tang, Xi Jinping, ” Xi’s, Chiang Kai, Mao Zedong’s, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Eastern Theater Command, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Communist Party, Theater Command, Palace Museum, Getty, National, Museum, Zhejiang Provincial Museum, National Palace Museum, Taiwan, World Health Organization, Olympic Games, Asian, British Museum ’, British Museum, Beijing’s, Nationalist, Global Times, British Locations: Hong Kong, Taiwan Strait, People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Palace Museum Taipei, AFP, Taipei, Hangzhou, China, National Palace Museum Taipei, Beijing, Ukraine, Fujian, London, Mao Zedong’s Communist, Greater China

☆ 'Narwhal' ship: Taiwan unveils first domestically built submarine as China threat grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Eric Cheung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“It is also important equipment for our naval forces in developing asymmetric warfare strategies.”“In the past, many people thought building an indigenous submarine would be an impossible task. Taiwan's president gives a speech at the launch ceremony of Taiwan's first domestically built submarine, in Kaohsiung on September 28. Tsai said the indigenous submarine project was “a top priority” of her administration. Video Ad Feedback Taiwan's military is preparing in case China attacks. But Taiwan’s indigenous military procurement program remains a lynchpin of its defense strategy, particularly when it comes to systems like anti-ship missiles that could defend against a potential invasion.

Persons: Tsai Ing, Kun, ” Tsai, “, Tsai, Taiwan's, Eric Cheung, Sandra Oudkirk, Washington’s, Admiral Huang Shu, kuang, Huang, ” Huang, Collin Koh, ”, Admiral Huang, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Nancy Pelosi, Lee Teng Organizations: Taiwan CNN, Taiwan, CNN, National Security Council, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, PLA Navy, Party, US Pacific Fleet Locations: Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Taipei, Beijing, China, ”, Philippines, Japan, Singapore, Philippine, United States, Taiwan Strait, South Korea, India

☆ Taiwan raises concerns about situation 'getting out of hand' with China drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has in recent years carried out many such drills around the island, seeking to assert its sovereignty claims and pressure Taipei. Warships from China's southern and eastern theatre commands have been operating together off Taiwan's east coast, he added. China has not commented about the drills around Taiwan, and its defence ministry has not responded to requests for comment. Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang added that China's Eastern Theatre Command forces were the "attacking force", simulating a battle scenario. China normally performs large-scale exercises from July to September, Taiwan's defence ministry has said.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Chiu Kuo, cheng, Chiu, Sun Li, Ben Blanchard, Roger Tung, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Air Force, Eastern Theatre Command, Liberation Army, PLA, REUTERS, Rights, Taiwan Defence, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, China, Rights TAIPEI, Shandong, Taipei

☆ Opinion: It doesn’t take an Agatha Christie detective to work out something’s up in Xi’s China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sheena Mckenzie | Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The latest to vanish from view is China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu. But anti-corruption campaigns are an ideal vehicle for political crackdowns, and in the opaque world of China’s regime, with no official explanation, there’s much that doesn’t meet the eye. (Rahm Emanuel, dripping with sarcasm, joked that the unemployment rate among Xi’s ministers might exceed that of China’s young people.) But China, of course, still promotes its system as a superior alternative to western-style democracy; tries to pretend that it’s not a dictatorship.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Li Shangfu, “ I’m, Nobody, Rahm Emanuel, ”, Xi’s, Agatha Christie’s, Li, China’s, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi Jinping, Wang Yi, Qi, Xi, Mao Zedong, didn’t, Joe Biden, “, Hu Jintao, Hu, chastened, Jack Ma, Jeff Bezos Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, China’s Defense, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Twitter, Qin, Street Journal, PLA’s, Force, United Nations General Assembly, Communist Party Congress Locations: China, Japan, Denmark, Vietnam, Beijing, Washington, Russia, Ukraine, Germany

“Russia’s thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons remind the world that escalation of the conflict – by accident, intention, or miscalculation – is a terrible risk. New Construction at Russia's Novaya Zemlya nuclear test site, June 22, 2023. Lop Nur nuclear test site. “The Chinese test site is different than the Russian test site,” Lewis said. Both countries keep their strategic nuclear arsenals on “hair-trigger” alert, meaning that nuclear weapons can be launched on short notice.

Persons: Jeffrey Lewis, James Martin, ”, Cedric Leighton, “, Vladimir Putin, ” Lewis, Lewis ’, António Guterres, ” Guterres, Dmitry Medvedev, Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Sergei Shoigu, Lewis, we’ve, Leighton, they’d, ” Leighton, Nur, Hans Kristensen, Kristensen, Israel –, Dyess, Frederic J . Brown, Fiona Cunningham, Yang Kun, ” Daryl Kimball, Kimball, Michael Frankel, James Scouras, George Ullrich, Soviet Union –, Russia –, We’re Organizations: CNN, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, US, US Air Force, Atomic Scientists, Soviet Union, United Nations, Russia’s Security, Russian Defense Ministry, Planet Labs PBC, Middlebury, Science and Global Security, Novaya, Middlebury Institute, China Observer, China’s Foreign Ministry, Planet Labs, Nevada National Security, National Security Administration, US Department of Energy, Office, National Security Council, International Monitoring, Federation of American Scientists, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Columbia, Northrop Grumman's Air Force, Getty, Control Association, ACA, NGO, PLA, Nuclear, Carnegie Endowment, International, Arms Control Association, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Soviet Locations: Russia, United States, China, Xinjiang, Nevada, . China, Moscow, Washington, Ukraine, Soviet, Belarus, Minsk, Novaya Zemlya, Zemlya, Soviet Union, Lop Nur, Japan, Lop, Beijing, Stockholm, United Kingdom, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Ellsworth, Palmdale , California, AFP, Yuli County, Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Baltimore, Russian, Hiroshima

☆ The US Air Force's plan to give its biggest planes new missions has gotten China's attention
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

US Air Force officials say they're pursuing a plan to drop "palletized effects" from cargo planes. Minihan said "palletized effects" could include much more than just "kinetic effects" like missiles. There's other kinetic effects, non-kinetic effects, jammers, that if it can fit in the back and can be air-launched" then it could be employed to deliver "decisive effects," Bauernfeind said. "When it comes to palletized effects, I'm not looking for big modifications. AdvertisementAdvertisementA palletized effects system in the air during a live-fire test in Norway in November 2022.

Persons: It's, Brandon Esau, Mike Minihan, Minihan, Tony Bauernfeind, Bauernfeind, Brandon Esau Minihan, Derek Solen, Solen, Brigette, Brigette Waltermire Solen Organizations: US Air Force, Service, Air Force, Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Special, Command, Air Mobility Command, Staff, Air and Space Forces, Washington DC, Air Force Special Operations Command, China National Defense, PLA, Communist, Military Commission, US Air, China Aerospace Studies, Science, US Air National Guard / Tech Locations: Wall, Silicon, China, Florida, Norwegian, Norway

☆ Turbulence in China’s top ranks raises questions about Xi Jinping’s rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Defense Minister Li Shangfu has not been seen in public for three weeks, sparking speculation he is under investigation. Both Li and Qin serve among China’s five state councillors, a senior position in the cabinet that outranks a regular minister. Li also sits on the Central Military Commission, a powerful body headed by Xi that commands the armed forces. China's Defence Minister Li Shangfu gives a speech during the Moscow Conference on International Security on August 15. Last week, as speculation mounted over the whereabouts of the defense minister, Xi called for unity and stability within the military during an inspection in China’s northeast.

Persons: China’s, Li Shangfu, Weeks, Qin Gang, Xi, Li, Qin, outranks, “ What’s, ”, Drew Thompson, Xi Jinping, James Char, Lloyd Austin, Alexander Nemenov, Xi’s, Deng Yuwen, ” Rahm Emanuel, Agatha Christie’s, “, –, Craig Singleton, General Zhang Youxia, Zhang, He’s, Thompson, they’re, ” Thompson, Mao Zedong, Char, …, ” Char, Jinping Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Defense, Foreign, Central Military Commission, People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, Wall Street Journal, Communist Party, National University of Singapore, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Belarus ’, US, Singapore’s Navy, China's, Conference, International Security, Getty, Twitter, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Washington DC, Development Department, Rocket Force, Equipment Development Department Locations: China, Hong Kong, United States, Washington, Beijing, Singapore, Moscow, Belarus, Minsk, AFP, Japan, Soviet, Sichuan, “

☆ Chinese blockade of Taiwan would likely fail, Pentagon official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - A Chinese blockade of Taiwan would likely fail and a direct military invasion of the self-ruled island would be extremely difficult for Beijing to carry out successfully, senior Pentagon officials told Congress on Tuesday. China's military in recent years has stepped up activity around Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. However, whether Xi would order taking Taiwan by force, either through military options like a blockade or an invasion is unclear. "I think it is an option but probably not a highly likely option, when you start looking at the military options - much easier to talk about a blockade than actually do a blockade," McGee told lawmakers. He added flatly: "There is absolutely nothing easy about a PLA invasion of Taiwan."

Persons: Dado Ruvic, William Burns, Xi Jinping, Xi, Ely Ratner, Ratner, General Joseph McGee, McGee, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Michael Martina, Patricia Zengerle, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Pentagon, CIA, Affairs, House Armed Services, People's Republic of China . Army, Pentagon's Joint Staff, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, U.S, People's Republic of China, China

☆ Explainer-China's Military Hierarchy Under Spotlight After Defence Minister Disappears
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

By Greg Torode and Yew Lun TianHONG KONG (Reuters) - The disappearance of Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu highlights the opaque and complex nature of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), diplomats and analysts say. In the Chinese system, the Minister of National Defence is seen as significantly less powerful than the U.S. defence secretary and many international equivalents. HOW DOES THE CHINESE MILITARY SYSTEM OPERATE? When the forum was last held in-person in 2019, more than 530 defence and military officials and scholars attended, including defence ministers from 23 countries. The Chinese defence minister would typically give the keynote speech at the forum and meet with delegations.

Persons: Greg Torode, Li Shangfu, Li, Xi Jinping, technocrat, Xi, Lloyd Austin, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Zhang Youxia, Tian, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Reuters, Defence, People's Liberation Army, PLA, of National Defence, Central Military Commission, Communist Party, Strategic, Force, . Defence, White House, Foreign, Austin, CMC, Diplomats, China Locations: HONG KONG, U.S, ., Singapore, Malta, China

HONG KONG, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The disappearance of Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu highlights the opaque and complex nature of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), diplomats and analysts say. In the Chinese system, the Minister of National Defence is seen as significantly less powerful than the U.S. defence secretary and many international equivalents. HOW DOES THE CHINESE MILITARY SYSTEM OPERATE? When the forum was last held in-person in 2019, more than 530 defence and military officials and scholars attended, including defence ministers from 23 countries. The Chinese defence minister would typically give the keynote speech at the forum and meet with delegations.

Persons: Li Shangfu, Li, Xi Jinping, technocrat, Xi, Lloyd Austin, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Zhang Youxia, Greg Torode, Tian, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Defence, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Reuters, of National Defence, Central Military Commission, Communist Party, Strategic, Force, . Defence, White House, Foreign, Austin, CMC, Diplomats, China, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, U.S, ., Singapore, Malta, China

Newly installed Foreign Minister Qin Gang vanished with scant explanation in July, the same month as an abrupt shake-up of the military's elite Rocket Force, which oversees China's nuclear arsenal. China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. PROXIMITY ISN'T PATRONAGERegarding Defence Minister Li's disappearance and investigation, a ministry spokeswoman told reporters on Friday she was not aware of the situation. With corruption long permeating China's military and state institutions, some analysts and diplomats believe Xi's anti-graft crackdowns mark political purges across the Communist Party. If Li's fate "reflects Xi's increasingly inward focus, it is not good for those of us who want greater openness and lines of communications with China's military," said one Asian diplomat.

Persons: Xi Jinping, GIANLUIGI, Xi Jinping's, Li Shangfu, Qin Gang, Drew Thompson, Thompson, Li's, Li, Helena Legarda, Alexander Neill, Zhang Youxia, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Ja Ian Chong, Chong, Greg Torode, Martin Quin Pollard, William Mallard Organizations: Rights, Reuters, Foreign, Rocket Force, Pentagon, National University of Singapore, State Council and Defence Ministry, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Communist Party, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Hawaii's, Military Commission, Washington, U.S . Defence, Pacific ., East, South China Seas, Thomson Locations: Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, Rights BEIJING, India, China, Russia, Belarus, Beijing, Jakarta, Berlin, Singapore, Washington, Asia, Pacific, Taiwan, South, East China, South China, Hong Kong

☆ After replacing 2 senior military commanders in charge of its nukes, China is now investigating its defense minister, US officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Ella Hopkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

General Li Shangfu, China's defense minister, hasn't been seen in public for more than two weeks. Sources in direct contact with the Chinese military said the defense minister was suspected of corruption in procuring military equipment. A further eight officials from the government's military procurement unit, which General Li led from 2017 to 2022, are under investigation, two sources told Reuters. AdvertisementAdvertisementIt comes two months after Xi Jinping, China's president, also replaced two of his most senior military commanders who were in charge of the country's nuclear arsenal. A US official told The Journal that General Li's dismissal indicated problems with Xi's years-long campaign to reform the People's Liberation Army, China's military.

Persons: Li Shangfu, hasn't, Li, Qin Gang, Wang Yi, Xi Jinping, Li's, it's, Su, yun, General Li, Rahm Emanuel Organizations: New York Times, Service, Street Journal, Reuters, The New York Times, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Times, Twitter Locations: Wall, Silicon, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan

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

☆ China has the capacity to build PLA combat ships at 200 times the rate that the US can, per leaked US Navy intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China's shipbuilding capacity has dwarfed US capabilities, per leaked US Navy intelligence. A Navy spokesperson confirmed the leaked material's authenticity to Fox News Digital. China has the world's largest navy and could have a fleet of 440 ships by 2030, per the Pentagon. A leaked US Navy briefing slide with the information circulated online in July, per The War Zone, an online newsletter. AdvertisementAdvertisementA US Navy spokesperson told Fox News Digital in an article published on September 14 that the briefing slide is authentic.

Persons: Defense Mark Esper, Esper Organizations: Navy, Fox News Digital, Pentagon, Service, US Navy, USN Naval Force, Office of Naval Intelligence, US Naval Institute, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Defense, RAND Corporation, of Naval Intelligence Locations: China, Wall, Silicon

☆ China's military rocket force uncovers 'shortcomings' - PLA Daily
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 15 (Reuters) - A unit of China's Rocket Force uncovered "shortcomings" during a field assessment of an exercise, the PLA Daily reported on Friday in a rare critique, suggesting gaps in combat readiness at the armed force overseeing conventional and nuclear missiles. The combat readiness of the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, a strategic branch of the Chinese military, has come under focus recently after its two most senior leaders were suddenly replaced at the end of July with commanders not from the force. Since August, the Rocket Force has conducted at least two drills and training sessions, according to its official account on Weibo, a popular Chinese microblog. In the year to date, Communist Party members of the Rocket Force have visited the front lines of drills and exercises "multiple times" to assess the unit's combat readiness, according to the PLA Daily. The uncertainties over leadership have not been solely focused on the Rocket Force.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Xi Jinping, Li Shangfu, Ryan Woo, Lincoln Organizations: Rocket Force, Eastern Theatre Command, Liberation Army, PLA, REUTERS, Rights, China's, Force, Communist Party, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, Party, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Weibo, Heilongjiang

☆ The Public Face of China's Military Under Corruption Probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Persons: Greg Torode, Laurie Chen BEIJING, Li Shangfu, Li, Xi, Nancy Pelosi, Lloyd Austin, James Char, Russian Su, Zhang Youxia, Zhang, Laurie Chen, 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 Locations: United States, Taiwan, Beijing, Russia, Washington, U.S, Singapore, China, Belarus, Ukraine, Russian, Hong Kong

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