INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
BEIJING: Chinese defense minister Li Shangfu has disappeared from public view, adding to speculation about potential trouble within the
policymaking in China, where President Xi Jinping is less than a year into his third term after packing top government posts with loyalists
Who is Li Shangfu?The son of veteran Red Army soldier, the 65-year-old Li graduated from the National University of Defense Technology in
He started his career as a technician at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center and started running the facility in Sichuan province in 2003
He then rose through the ranks of the military as President Xi Jinping pushed to upgrade his fighting forces
Li was targeted for sanctions by Washington in 2018 for allegedly aiding the transfer of Russian weapons to China
These sanctions were a sticking point before a potential meeting between Li and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Shangri-La Dialogue
security meeting in Singapore in June
In the end, the two only shook hands and did not have a substantive conversation.2
China-Africa Peace and Security Forum in Beijing
Earlier last month, he also visited Russia and Belarus
status grew after he apparently pulled out of a meeting with Vietnamese defense leaders earlier this month
US officials have intelligence suggesting Li has been removed from his post, according to a US official familiar with the matter who asked
not to be identified discussing the sensitive issue
He is under an investigation that relates to the procurement of military equipment, Reuters reported Friday, citing people familiar with the
is largely administrative and diplomatic
The next event to watch for his presence is the annual Xiangshan Forum in October, a gathering of military officials and defense ministers
the US that could thwart its tech ambitions
Before the Shangri-La Dialogue, China had cited the sanctions on Li as an obstacle to military exchanges.The Biden administration has sought
to improve communications with Beijing even as the two countries spar over a wide range of issues, including Taiwan, trade curbs and sales
of high-end chipmaking equipment
Li also served in the armaments department between 2013 and 2015, when Zhang was its director.Zhang accompanied Xi during an inspection trip
in northeast China earlier this month, when the Chinese leader called for unity and stability in the military.Zhang and Xi go way back
They both have links to the northwestern province of Shaanxi and their fathers were also close, serving together during the civil war in the
