Reuters-China defence minister under investigation being removed from post - media
September 15, 2023 4 min 776 words
这则报道涉及中国国防部长李尚福的神秘失踪，以及他是否正在接受调查并被解除职务的问题。对于中国政府高级官员的失踪和政治变动，一直以来都是备受关注的话题。尽管报道没有提供具体的原因，但有关李尚福失踪的传言和美国官员的评论引发了广泛的猜测。 这个事件的背后可能涉及多种因素，包括国内政治动荡、军事改革、以及中国与美国之间紧张的关系。中国政府一贯以来对高级官员的失踪和政治动荡采取保密态度，这引发了国际社会的担忧，因为这种缺乏透明度可能会对国际关系和对话产生负面影响。 美国驻日本大使拉姆·伊曼纽尔的言辞鲜明，进一步加剧了事件的复杂性。他的发言引起了广泛的关注，显示出美国对中国内政的关切，尤其是在涉及军事关系和对话的问题上。这种外交争议可能会加剧中美之间的紧张关系。 总的来说，这个报道凸显了中国政府内部的不透明性以及国际社会对中国政治动态的持续关注。这也提醒我们，中国在国内和国际事务中扮演着关键角色，其领导层的变动和决策都会对全球产生重大影响。
Suspicion over the unexplained weeks-long absence of Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu deepened on Friday, as some media reported he was subject to a probe and a top U.S. diplomat questioned whether he had been placed under house arrest.
Li, 65, has missed meetings with Vietnamese and Singaporean defence leaders in recent weeks, according to sources with direct knowledge of the engagements. He was last seen in Beijing on Aug. 29 delivering a keynote address at a security forum with African nations.
The U.S. government believes Li has been placed under investigation, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing U.S. officials. The Wall Street Journal reported he had been taken away last week for questioning and removed from his post.
Neither report stated the reasons behind the investigation.
Rahm Emanuel, Washington's outspoken ambassador to Japan, wrote in a post on X: "1st: Defense Minister Li Shangfu hasn't been seen or heard from in 3 weeks. 2nd: He was a no-show for his trip to Vietnam. Now: He’s absent from his scheduled meeting with the Singaporean Chief of Navy because he was placed on house arrest???"
China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The U.S. embassy in Tokyo said it did not have immediate further comment.
Asked whether Li was under investigation, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she was "not aware of the relevant information".
Li's absence follows China's unexplained replacement of its foreign minister, Qin Gang, in July after a prolonged period out of public view and a shake-up of the leadership of the People's Liberation Army's elite Rocket Force in recent months.
Like Li, Qin is one of China's five state councillors, a cabinet position that ranks higher than a regular minister.
The moves have raised questions from analysts and diplomats about a lack of transparency in China's leadership at a time when its economy is slowing and its relations with rival superpower the United States have soured over a range of issues.
Emanuel, a gregarious and outspoken diplomat who served as a top aide to former U.S. President Barack Obama, has hit the headlines for a series of fiery posts directed at China in recent weeks.
He first posted about Li's public absence last Friday, fuelling a swirl of speculation on his whereabouts. Asked why Emanuel had weighed in on the issue, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the ambassador "throughout his career has spoken in a colorful manner".
The Singapore meeting Emanuel appeared to reference in his latest post was a visit by the Singapore Navy's Rear Admiral Sean Wat to China from Sept. 4-9.
On the trip, Wat met with China's navy commander, Dong Jun and other navy leaders, Singapore's defence ministry said on its website. Two sources familiar with the matter said Wat had also been expected to meet with Li.
One of the sources, an official with direct knowledge of the plans, said Wat was scheduled to meet with Li on Sept. 5 in Beijing but "it didn’t happen", without elaborating.
Singapore's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Li also abruptly pulled out of a meeting with Vietnamese defence leaders scheduled for Sept 7-8, Reuters exclusively reported on Thursday.
Military observers and diplomats are closely watching whether China will go ahead with plans to hold the Beijing Xiangshan Forum - an annual international security summit normally hosted by China's defence minister - in late October.
Before Li was appointed to his post in March, he had led the military's procurement unit.
In a rare notice in July, the unit said it was looking to "clean up" its bidding process and invited the public to report irregularities dating back to 2017. There has been no update on possible findings.
Li's absence is being particularly closely watched by the United States, which has not dropped sanctions imposed on him in 2018 for buying weapons from Russia's largest arms exporter, Rosoboronexport.
Chinese officials have repeatedly said they want those sanctions dropped to facilitate better discussions between the two sides' militaries. U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin attempted talks with Li during a defence conference in Singapore in June, but did not get beyond a handshake.
Wen-Ti Sung, a political scientist at the Australian National University, said that although Li had been a "roadblock" in U.S.-China military relations, his unexplained absence is problematic for China's international relations in other ways.
"Other countries will be wondering something as basic as whose number to call when they want to set up military dialogues with China," he said.