China’s Minister for Defence, Li Shangfu, has been dismissed. Photo: TASS.
Chinese State Media has officially announced that Minister for Defence Li Shangfu has been dismissed.
Speculation has been rife in Beijing since Mr Li dropped out of public view in August.
The State Media report said Mr Li, 65, had been sacked on orders from President Xi Jinping. He had also been dismissed from all the other positions he held, including State Councillor and membership of the Central Military Commission.
The move follows the sacking of Foreign Minister, Qin Gang in July, who was also dismissed as a State Councillor. Both dismissals have been approved by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
No explanation as to why the two men were removed has been forthcoming, and it remains unclear if they will face prosecution or other legal sanctions.
Foreign Policy Magazine commentator James Palmer said that while removing top officials without comment was far from an earth-shattering event in China, it could hurt Beijing’s diplomatic relationships.
“It should be a reminder of just how fraught the Communist Party’s internal politics are, and why foreign officials or businesspeople investing time and effort in any single Chinese official is so risky,” Mr Palmer said.
