The disappearance of China’s defence minister raises big questions
G20 summit in Delhi on September 9th and 10th—an unprecedented absence. But on September 16th and 17th Wang Yi, who succeeded Mr Qin as foreign minister in late July, met America’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, in Malta. According to Bloomberg, they discussed a possible meeting between Mr Xi and President Joe Biden at a gathering of Asia-Pacific leaders scheduled for November in San Francisco.
China’s military activities appear unaffected, too. On September 17th and 18th about 100 Chinese fighter jets flew round Taiwan, an unusually high number in such a space of time. But the churn at the highest levels of the state and military apparatus has been unusually fast, even by the standards of Mr Xi’s purge-filled tenure.
General Li has not been seen in public since August 29th, when he appeared at a China-Africa security forum. He was supposed to attend an annual meeting with Vietnamese defence officials on September 7th and 8th. But that plan was scrapped, with Chinese officials citing the general’s health.
Unspecified illnesses seem to be a common problem for those in political trouble. Mr Qin was said to have a health problem, too. But according to the Wall Street Journal, senior Chinese officials were told in secret last month that he had “lifestyle issues".
They allegedly involved an extramarital affair, resulting in the birth of a child, while Mr Qin was ambassador in Washington before becoming foreign minister. On official websites, no change has been indicated in General Li’s duties. But American and other officials have told Western media that they believe he has been relieved of his duties.
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