"Is Former Foreign Minister Qin Gang Facing Procedures?"... Chinese Defense Minister Missing from Official Appearances for 2 Weeks

No Appearance Since August 29
US Side: "Already Dismissed and Under Investigation"

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu has not appeared in public for over half a month, leading to speculation that he might be following the same path as former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who was dismissed a month after disappearing in June.

The U.S. government is reportedly operating under the judgment that Li has already been dismissed and is currently under investigation.

Li Shangfu, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense, is speaking at a bilateral meeting with Lee Jong-seop, Minister of National Defense, held on June 3rd (local time) at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 15th, the British Financial Times (FT) reported, "The Joe Biden administration has concluded that Li has stepped down from his position as defense minister and is under investigation." While it is unclear what charges Li faces, it is understood that a return to the defense minister post is virtually impossible. FT cited three U.S. government officials and two sources for this information.

Li last appeared publicly on May 29, delivering the keynote speech at the 3rd China-Africa Peace and Security Forum held in Beijing. He was also absent from accompanying Chinese President Xi Jinping during his inspection of the army command in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, on the 8th of this month.

According to Reuters, the annual defense cooperation meeting between China and Vietnam, scheduled for the 7th and 8th near the China-Vietnam border, was abruptly postponed. Vietnamese officials reportedly said, "The Chinese side requested to delay the meeting citing Li's health as the reason."

China Remains Silent on Li Shangfu's Situation

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who visited Russia on the 15th of last month.
[Photo by AFP·Yonhap News]

The first to mention Li's 'absence' was U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel.

Rahm Emanuel, who served as White House Chief of Staff under the Obama administration and is currently the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, wrote on his social media account X (formerly Twitter) on the 8th, "Xi Jinping's cabinet lineup resembles Agatha Christie's novel 'And Then There Were None.' First, Foreign Minister Qin Gang disappeared, then the Rocket Force commander, and now Defense Minister Li Shangfu has not appeared in public for two weeks."

He continued, "Who will win this unemployment race? The Chinese youth or Xi Jinping's cabinet?" He also tagged the tweet with the hashtag "Mystery of the Beijing Building."

The novel 'And Then There Were None' tells the story of ten people?eight men and women invited to a remote island villa and the villa's two servants?who are unable to leave due to a storm and are killed one by one, with no one knowing who the murderer is.

This is interpreted to mean that after the disappearance of influential figures such as former Foreign Minister Qin Gang and senior officials of the Chinese military's core Rocket Force, and their replacements by others, Defense Minister Li might be following the same path.

The Chinese government has officially remained silent about Li's situation.

When asked about Ambassador Emanuel's allegations regarding Li's disappearance during the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' regular briefing on the 11th, a spokesperson responded, "I do not understand the situation you mentioned."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.