where has the Minister of Defense gone?

In China, mystery hovers around the possible disappearance of the Minister of Defense. After the equally mysterious replacement this summer of the head of Chinese diplomacy, there is now no news from the Minister of Defense, Li Shangfu. He has not been seen since the end of August and his participation in several international meetings has been canceled.

General Li Shangfu was to participate in an important military meeting with Vietnam in early September. A meeting ultimately canceled, according to Vietnamese officials, due to the absence of the Chinese minister. Health reasons were initially mentioned, but that did not stop the speculation. It has now been almost three weeks since Li Shangfu, 65, who has been a minister for only six months, has been seen in public.

A “sidelining” according to Washington

The hypothesis of sidelining is raised, in particular by three American officials. They affirmed to Financial Times that Li was under investigation. According to Wall Street Journal, the general was arrested last week. Questioned yesterday at a press conference, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured that it had no information on this subject.

But if this is confirmed, it would be a new sign of instability within the Chinese executive, just two months after the disappearance and sudden replacement of the new Minister of Foreign Affairs.