China reportedly ousts defense minister after two-month absence

The Chinese government removed General Li Shangfu from the post of defense minister and state councilor without appointing a replacement, state media CCTV reported Tuesday.

His dismissal was announced through an order of China’s legislative body, the National People’s Congress.

Li, who was appointed to lead China’s defense ministry during a broader cabinet reshuffle in March, has not been seen in public for the past two months, according to Reuters.

Reuters also reported that Li, 65, faced a corruption probe over the procurement of military equipment — which CNBC could not independently confirm.

An aerospace engineer who began his career at China’s Rocket Launch Center, Li has smoothly risen through the ranks, with promotions that included membership of the Central Military Commission — the country’s highest national defense organization — since 2022.

Li is the second high-profile minister from Xi Jinping’s administration to be removed amid a storm of speculation. In July, Qin Gang — who was also stripped of his authority as state councilor on Tuesday — was dismissed from his role as foreign minister after a one-month absence.

Li, the former defense minister, has been under U.S. sanctions slapped by the administration of Donald Trump in 2018 in connection with China’s purchase of Russian combat aircraft and equipment. His sanctions have been a bone of contention between Washington and Beijing, with China declining a request for a meeting between him and U.S. Defense Department counterpart Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in May.

“If the United States says it wants to communicate while suppressing and containing China by any means and imposing sanctions on Chinese officials, institutions and enterprises, what is the sincerity and meaning of such communication?” Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in late May at a regular news briefing in Beijing, according to NBC News.