China yesterday refused to explain why it removed Li Shangfu (李尚福) as minister of national defense from office, a day after he was fired following weeks out of the public eye.
In a major reshuffle of top leadership, Beijing on Tuesday announced that Li and former Chinese minister of foreign affairs Qin Gang (秦剛) had been removed from the Cabinet.
He was also stripped of his state councilor title and membership of the government’s highest national defense body.
Photo: Reuters
No replacement for his role was announced.
When asked about the firings yesterday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning (毛寧) told journalists that she did not have “any other information to provide.”
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.
Li, who became defense minister during a Cabinet reshuffle in March, has not been seen since he delivered a speech on Aug. 29.
Li is under US sanctions related to his overseeing of weapon purchases from Russia that bar him from entering the country.
His removal could allow for high-level military talks with the US to resume after a suspension of more than a year.
China has refused US overtures for Li to speak with US military leaders because of the sanctions, which were imposed during the administration of former US president Donald Trump.
China has since cut off contacts with the US military, mainly in protest over US arm sales to Taiwan, while strongly implying that Washington must lift the measures against Li, which Beijing refuses to publicly recognize.
An announcement from state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) said that Li and Qin had been removed from the Chinese State Council.
That virtually assures the end of their political careers, although it remains unclear whether they face prosecution or other sanctions.
“Stripping Li and Qin of their state titles all but confirms they are being investigated for corruption or other violations of party discipline,” said Neil Thomas, a fellow for Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis.
CCTV also announced the appointment of Lan Foan (藍佛安) as minister of finance and Yin Hejun (陰和俊) as science and technology minister.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
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