ALBAWABA - According to state media reports, China has removed defense minister Li Shangfu and ousted former foreign minister Qin Gang from its cabinet as part of a major reshuffle of its top leadership, AFP reported.
State broadcaster CCTV said in a statement: "According to the sixth meeting of the standing committee of the People's Republic of China's 14th National People's Congress, it was decided on October 24, 2023... to remove Li Shangfu from the positions of State Council member and Minister of Defence,".
CCTV said in its regular evening news bulletin that ex-minister Qin Gang had been removed from his position without giving any further explanation.
The announcement came only days before a Pentagon delegation was scheduled to arrive in Beijing for a regional security summit, paving the way for the two sides' long-stalled high-level military commitment.
His removal followed weeks of speculations over the whereabouts of Qin Gang, who had not been seen in public since the end of August. The decision to remove him was authorized by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
Li is the second minister to be unexpectedly removed since Xi Jinping began his third term as party chief in October.
Qin Gang was replaced as foreign minister in July by his predecessor Wang Yi, following a similar mysterious withdrawal from public duties. The reason behind Qin's removal remains unknown.
Chinese foreign and defense ministers are mostly policy enforcers rather than senior decision-makers. However, both Li and Qin are state councilors, which is a senior position in China's cabinet.
Li is also the public face of the People's Liberation Army and a member of the PLA's controlling body, the Central Military Commission. Li is only second to the CMC's chairman, Xi, and vice-chairmen Zhang Youxia and He Weidong.
