Xi Jinping’s wave of purges?: China’s Defense Minister disappeared for weeks

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Is he the next victim of President Xi Jinping’s (70) purge wave? Speaking at a security forum in Beijing on August 29, Defense Minister Li Shangfu spoke of the “unprecedented challenges” humanity currently faces, the Nikkei said.

Since then: radio silence.

This now leads to speculation, because in the past it was an unmistakable sign that the person in hiding had to leave the post. Foreign Minister Qin Gang (57) was also a mystery for weeks – until his replacement was announced at the end of July.

Unusual comment

Xi Jinping also fired a senior official from the army’s missile force. Now it seems to be Li Shangfu’s turn: is Xi Jinping afraid of losing support in the army? Or is it about corruption, as the newspaper ‘Nikkei’ suspects?

Rahm Emanuel, 63, the US ambassador to Japan, fired at Beijing with a directness that was unusual in diplomatic circles. On X, formerly Twitter, he compared Xi Jinping’s personnel policy to Agatha Christie’s novel ‘And Then There Were None’.

Apparently proceedings have been opened against him

Rahm wrote: “First Foreign Minister Qin Gang is missing, then the missile force commanders, and now Defense Minister Li Shangfu has not been seen in public for two weeks. Who will win this unemployment race? Chinese youth or Xi’s cabinet?

Chinese author Jennifer Zeng reports on Reason: His son was headhunted or ‘corrupted’ abroad.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry was asked about the case by reporters at a press conference, but according to the “Aargauer Zeitung” only replied drily that she was “not aware” of the case. (neo)

Source: Blick