China’s former Defence Minister Li Shangfu attends the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 02, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Former Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu has been expelled from the ruling Communist Party, state media said on June 27, after he was sacked abruptly last year in unexplained circumstances.

“The Politburo… has decided to expel Li Shangfu from the party, terminate his credentials as a representative of the 20th National Congress, and transfer his suspected criminal issues to military procuratorial organs for review and prosecution,” state broadcaster CCTV said.

The Communist Party’s powerful Politburo of senior leaders convened on June 27 to review a report on Mr. Li’s status.

There, they ruled Mr. Li had “betrayed his original mission and lost his party spirit and principles”, according to CCTV.

He “seriously polluted the political environment and industrial ethos in the field of military equipment, and caused great damage to the party’s cause, national defence and the construction of the armed forces”, CCTV said.

Mr. Li is “suspected of bribery” having been accused of “taking advantage of his position and taking huge sums of money to seek benefits for others… and giving money to others to seek inappropriate benefits”, it said.

He also “illegally sought personnel benefits for himself and others”, it added.

China’s Defence Minister Li Shangfu. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

China on October 25 refused to explain why Defence Minister Li Shangfu was removed from office, a day after he was fired following weeks out of the public eye.

In a major reshuffle of top leadership, Beijing announced on October 24 that Mr. Li and ousted ex-Foreign Minister Qin Gang had been removed from the Cabinet.

No explanation was given for their removal from office.

When asked about the firings on October 25, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told journalists she did not have “any other information to provide”.

Ms. Mao instead referred media to state news agency Xinhua, which also provided no information about their removal from office.

“If you’re concerned about whether China is transparent, what I can say is that we release information on all appointments and removals of personnel in a timely manner,” she said.

Both Mr. Qin and Mr. Li are believed by experts to have been personally selected for their roles by President Xi Jinping.

Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow, Russia, on April 16, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Speculation about the missing Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Li Shangfu may have been removed and detained became rife after he was conspicuously absent at the meeting of the Central Military Commission (CMC) here on September 15.

Regarded as a close confidante of President Xi Jinping, Gen. Li has not been seen in public since early this month, and also had not attended the meeting with senior Vietnamese defence officials on September 7 and 8.

Gen. Li is the second high-ranking Minister and ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) official to go missing since July this year.

Gen. Li was conspicuously missing from the meeting held on September 15 of the CMC, the overall high command of the Chinese military headed by President Xi, according to the footage aired on the state broadcaster CCTV, extending an unexplained public absence now in its third week, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on September 16.

Besides his Presidency, 70-year-old Mr. Xi, regarded as the most powerful leader after Mao Zedong, heads the CPC and the CMC too.

The September 15 meeting discussed the political education of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Three of the seven-member Central Military Commission (CMC) He Weidong, the commission’s vice-chairman; Admiral Miao Hua, who supervises political affairs, and rocket force General Zhang Shengmin, who is in charge of disciplinary issues, attended the meeting, the Post said.

Also, not in attendance were General Liu Zhenli, the chief of staff of the joint staff department, and General Zhang Youxia, Mr. Xi’s trusted ally and the first-ranked CMC vice chair.

Mr. He, who chaired the meeting, asked the PLA commanders to strengthen their political conviction and step up combat readiness, the Post reported, quoting the official media.

There has been no official explanation for Gen. Li’s absence. However, his name still figures as a member of the CMC on the official Chinese Defence Ministry website.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who was not seen publicly for weeks, prompting speculation of his detention, was replaced by veteran diplomat and Director of CPC’s Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi in July by a resolution of the Chinese Parliament, the National People’s Congress.

While the sudden replacement of the two high-profile ministers sparked rumours of purges at the top of the government and the party, they also puzzled analysts as both Mr. Qin and Mr. Li were close confidants of Mr. Xi and handpicked by him for the top posts.

Gen. Li’s absence followed a major shakeup in the PLA Rocket (missile) Force in which its commander, Li Yuchao, and political commissar, Xu Zhongbo, were both replaced without any official explanation.

He headed the Rocket Force before he was elevated as a minister.

Gen. Li, a Chinese aerospace engineer and General of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was appointed as Defence Minister even though he was sanctioned by the US in 2018 for the purchase of Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 surface-to-air missiles by China’s Equipment Development Department (EDD) in violation of US sanctions on Russia.