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