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France 24
France 24
World
Sébastian SEIBT

Questions swirl around Xi’s motives after a second top minister disappears in China

Xi Jinping Li Shangfu Xi Zhongxun Marc Lanteigne China Qin Gang Corruption PLA Beijing United States
China's Defence Minister Li Shangfu salutes the audience before delivering a speech during the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on June 4, 2023. © Roslan Rahman, AFP

Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu has not been seen in public for more than two weeks. The disappearance of this top official close to President Xi Jinping comes two months after that of now-former foreign affairs minister Qin Gang, and follows the dismissal of a pair of influential military generals. For some observers, Li's vanishing is likely linked to corruption, while others see it as a sign of intense political battles hidden from outside eyes.

Where is Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu? The top military official has not been heard from in more than two weeks, as noted by the Financial Times in an article published on Friday. 

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