Mint Explainer: Has China's defence minister gone missing too?

livemint.com:

Mint takes a closer look at the developments. A career military officer, Li Shangfu trained as an engineer and joined the People’s Liberation Army in 1982. Prior to his appointment as China’s defence minister in 2023, he served as deputy head of the Strategic Support Force, which focused on building up the country’s space and cyber capabilities.

“In that capacity, Li likely played a key role in realigning China’s space and missile research, development, and acquisition (RD&A) processes and standards," writes The Diplomat on General Li. He was also made a member of China’s State Council, an important political position, and serves on the Central Military Commission, which is the country’s top military decision making body. However, Li is not the senior most soldier in the country.

According to reports, General Li was last seen in public on August 29. Since then, he has missed key meetings, notably with his counterparts in Vietnam. A subsequent report in the Wall Street Journal citing US officials stated that General Li is being investigated for corruption and is set to lose his job.

This comes just months after China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang disappeared in June. Then, as now, the disappearance was explained as a health-related incident. Minister Qin was subsequently stripped of his position as foreign minister although he retains some of his political positions.

General Li’s reported disappearance spells further instability for China’s military. In August, President Xi Jinping removed two senior commanders in charge of the PLA’s Rocket Force, which is tasked with managing the country’s missile and nuclear weapons arsenal. However, some experts believe this will not have a broader impact on Chinese politics.