Loyalty above all: Removal of top Chinese officials seen as enforcing Xi's demand for obedience
Xi Jinping's demand for total obedience and the elimination of any potential rivals within the ruling Communist Party, analysts say.
State media this week confirmed that former defense minister Gen. Li Shangfu and former foreign minister Qin Gang were «no longer serving in office,» but offered no details.
The opacity of China's one-party authoritarian system creates huge speculation about why the officials left office and whether they will face legal censure.
Both Li and Qin were appointed under Xi's watch, indicating they must have undergone close scrutiny, but later faced doubt over their personal behavior or political alliances.
«It's possible to see the reshuffle either as a manifestation of (Xi's) weakness or a sign of his strength. I lean toward the insecurity side of the explanation,» said June Teufel Dreyer, an expert on Chinese politics at the University of Miami in the U.S.
Xi is breaking with precedent by taking down his own powerful appointees, further turning the entire Communist Party «into the Xi faction,» said Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies.
Almost no information has been offered about the fate of Li and Qin, who was removed from office in July amid speculation of his having violated an unwritten code of ethics that is often used as cover for political infighting.
Li, who became defense minister during a Cabinet reshuffle in March and was dispatched to Moscow on a visit to shore up China's backing of Russia, hasn't been seen since giving a speech on Aug.
29.
There is no indication that the disappearances of Qin and Li signal a change in China's foreign or defense policies, which seek to form alliances in opposition
