Another mysterious disappearance. He has not appeared in public since the end of August. After a visit to Russia and Belarus last August, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu suddenly disappeared. According to the Financial Times, Washington has information that the minister is being investigated for corruption. He has since been removed from office.
To support this disappearance, the British daily quotes three American officials. The article was published just hours after a statement from the US ambassador to Japan. He stated on social media that Li Shangfu had “not been seen or heard from for three weeks.” Li Shangfu traveled to Russia in mid-August and then to Belarus.
When asked by AFP on Friday about a possible investigation against the defense minister, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said they were “not aware of the situation mentioned by journalists.” The White House has not publicly discussed the matter.
Two months after a reshuffle at the top of the People’s Liberation Army unit responsible for strategic missiles, particularly nuclear missiles, American suspicions are rising about his ouster. In July, Beijing announced it would give the unit a new leadership, without justifying the change, while the media reported on a corruption investigation into the former head, who had not been seen in public for weeks.