China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu was fired Tuesday, almost two months after he was last seen in public, as part of what seems to be an ongoing purge of senior Chinese officials.
Li has been missing since late August, a prolonged disappearance that has raised several questions about his whereabouts and safety.
On Tuesday, China’s national broadcaster CCTV reported that he had been removed from his posts as defense minister and as state councilor, without offering further explanation or mentioning a replacement.
This is the second time in three months that a senior Chinese official has been sacked from President Xi Jinping’s administration after mysteriously disappearing.
Earlier this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang was fired after only seven months in his role and about three weeks after he also disappeared from the public eye — something Beijing at the time attributed to “health reasons.”
Qin had initially retained the title of state councilor, but on Tuesday CCTV reported he was also removed from that role.
China’s Minister For Science And Technology Wang Zhigang and China’s Finance Minister Liu Kun were also fired on Tuesday, according to the Chinese broadcaster.
Li was reportedly last seen in Beijing on August 29, before his ministry abruptly canceled a September visit to Vietnam due to a “health condition,” setting the rumor mill alight.
The minister, who was appointed to his role in March, was being investigated by Chinese authorities over the corrupt procurement of military equipment, according to Reuters. He was also under U.S. sanctions for purchasing Russian weapons.
