Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who hasn’t been seen in public for more than two weeks.
Li abruptly pulled out of a meeting with Vietnamese defense leaders last week, Reuters has learned from three officials with direct knowledge of the matter.
According to sources, the meeting on Vietnam’s border with China was postponed after Beijing told Hanoi that the minister had a “health condition”.
Chinese authorities, including the defense and foreign ministries, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Li’s disappearance follows China’s unexplained replacement of Foreign Minister Qin Gang in July after a prolonged absence from public view.
It also comes after a recent shake-up of the leadership of the People’s Liberation Army’s elite Rocket Force.
Li was appointed as defense chief in March. He is watched closely by diplomats and other observers because, like Qin, he is also one of China’s five State Councilors.
That’s a cabinet position that ranks higher than a regular minister.
Li was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 for buying weapons from Russia’s largest arms exporter.
#china #lishangfu #defense
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