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China sacks missing defence chief Li Shangfu with no explanation
- US-sanctioned general’s fall follows weeks of speculation over his absence from public view since August
- State television also reported that Li and former foreign minister Qin Gang have been removed as state councillors
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China has dismissed General Li Shangfu as defence minister, the second senior official to be ousted in the past three months with no explanation given.
State broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday that Li had been removed from his position, after weeks of speculation over the fate of the US-sanctioned general who has not been seen in public since the end of August. The decision to remove him was approved by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee. The report did not say who would take Li’s place.
Li is the second minister to be abruptly removed since Xi Jinping began his unprecedented third term as the party’s leader last October. Qin Gang was replaced as foreign minister in July by his predecessor Wang Yi, after a similar unexplained withdrawal from public engagements. The reason for Qin’s removal is still not known.
Li and Qin were also removed as state councillors on Tuesday – a senior cabinet position with a higher ranking than regular ministers. No replacements were named.
Unlike their counterparts in the West, Chinese foreign and defence ministers are chiefly policy enforcers, not the top decision-makers.
02:49
Big political questions linger after China abruptly replaces its foreign minister
Big political questions linger after China abruptly replaces its foreign minister
It comes just days before a Pentagon delegation is due to arrive in Beijing for a regional security forum, paving the way for long-stalled high-level military dialogue between the two sides.
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