Chinese government removes defense minister missing for weeks

TAIPEI, Taiwan — China has replaced Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu, who has been out of public view for almost two months, state media reported Tuesday. No further information was given.

Li is the second senior Chinese official to disappear this year, following former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who was removed from office in July with no explanation offered.

Li, who became defense minister during a Cabinet reshuffle in March, hasn’t been seen since giving a speech on Aug. 29. There is no indication that the disappearances of Qin and Li signal a change in China’s foreign or defense policies, although they have raised questions about the resilience of President and ruling Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s circle of power.

Xi has a reputation for valuing loyalty above all and has relentlessly attacked corruption in public and private, sometimes in what has been seen as a method of eliminating political rivals and shoring up his political position amid a deteriorating economy and rising tensions with the U.S. over trade, technology and Taiwan .

Li is under U.S. sanctions related to his overseeing weapons purchases from Russia; he is barred from entering the United States.

China has since cut off contacts with the U.S. military, mainly in protest over U.S. arm sales to Taiwan, but also strongly implying that Washington must lift the measures against Li, which Beijing refuses to publicly recognize.

The announcement from state broadcaster CCTV said that both Li and Qin had been removed from the State Council, China’s Cabinet and the center of government power. That virtually assures the end of their political careers, although it remains unclear whether they will face prosecution or other legal sanctions.

CCTV also announced Lan Fo’an’s new appointment as finance minister, and Yin He’jun as science and technology minister.

China’s political and legal systems remain highly opaque, fueling lively discussion of possible corruption, personal foibles or fallings-out with other powerful figures leading to the downfall of top officials.

Along with dealing with what appear to be internal political issues, the ruling party is struggling to revive an economy that has been severely impacted by the draconian “zero-Covid” measures, an aging population, high unemployment among college graduates, and a movement of many of its wealthiest and best educated to more liberal societies abroad.

Having had his ideology, known as “Xi Jinping Thought,” enshrined in the party constitution and with the abolishment of presidential term limits, Xi has structured the system so that he may stay in power for the rest of his life. The 70-year-old president also heads the party and state committees overseeing the People’s Liberation Army, the world’s largest standing military with more than 2 million personnel on active duty.

台北，台湾——据官方媒体周二报道，中国已撤换国防部长李尚福上将，李尚福已近两个月未公开露面。报道未提供更多信息。

李是今年第二位失踪的中国高级官员，此前，前外交部长秦刚于7月被免职，但未得到任何解释。

李克强在3月份的内阁改组中出任国防部长，自8月29日发表讲话后便一直没有露面。虽然秦和李克强的失踪引发了人们对国家主席兼中共领导人习近平权力圈稳固性的质疑，但目前没有任何迹象表明他们的失踪预示着中国外交或国防政策的改变。

习近平以重视忠诚著称，并毫不留情地打击公共和私营部门的腐败，有时这被视为一种清除政治对手、巩固自身政治地位的手段，因为当时中国经济形势恶化，且与美国在贸易、科技和台湾问题上的紧张关系日益加剧。

李某因负责从俄罗斯购买武器而受到美国制裁；他被禁止进入美国。

此后，中国切断了与美国军方的联系，主要是为了抗议美国向台湾出售武器，但也强烈暗示华盛顿必须解除对李克强的制裁，而北京拒绝公开承认这些制裁。

中央电视台宣布，李克强和秦平已被免去国务院、内阁及国家权力中心职务。这实际上宣告了他们政治生涯的终结，但目前尚不清楚他们是否会面临起诉或其他法律制裁。

中央电视台还宣布了兰佛安出任财政部长、尹和军出任科技部长的任命。

中国的政治和法律体系仍然高度不透明，这引发了人们对可能存在的腐败、个人缺点或与其他有权势人物的决裂等因素导致高级官员下台的热烈讨论。

除了应对看似内部的政治问题外，执政党还在努力重振经济。经济受到严厉的“新冠清零”措施、人口老龄化、大学毕业生高失业率以及许多最富有和受过良好教育的人移居国外更自由社会等问题的严重影响。

习近平将他的意识形态——即“习近平思想”——写入党章，并取消国家主席任期限制，从而构建了一个确保他终身执政的体制。这位70岁的国家主席还领导着负责中国人民解放军的党政委，解放军是世界上规模最大的常备军，拥有超过200万现役人员。