Li Shangfu, Chinese Defense Minister (here, June 4, 2023), was dismissed from office by Xi Jinping on October 24. ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP
Beijing has fired its Defense Minister Li Shangfu and two other members of the government team in a difficult economic and geopolitical context.
Correspondent in Asia
Xi Jinping is making waves at the helm of communist China and even purging his constituency in a geopolitical and economic context weighed down by slowing growth and the crisis in the Middle East. Defense Minister Li Shangfu was abruptly dismissed from his post by presidential decree on October 24, while his public disappearance for several weeks fueled speculation. The terse announcement was broadcast on state television CCTV without any explanation and revealed a major reshuffle in the governing team of the world’s second power just months after he took office, at the start of Xi’s third term.
Ministers Liu Kun, responsible for finance, and Wang Zhigang, responsible for science and technology, were also ousted amid slowing growth and a real estate crisis. Beijing also announced on the same day…
This article is reserved for subscribers. You still have 83% to discover.
Would you like to read more?
Unlock all items instantly.
Already subscribed? Registration