UPDATE - ‘Missing’ since early September, China’s defense chief Li sacked

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sacked the country’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who has not been seen in public since early September.

Xi signed a presidential decree to remove Li as China’s state councilor and defense minister.

Li, 65, was also removed from Xi-led Central Military Commission, where he served as one of its six members.

Xi’s decisions were approved by 175 members of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress.

Li was last seen in late August when he addressed a China-Africa security forum in Beijing.

Possibility of corruption behind Li’s sacking have not been ruled out.

Xi also removed former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, 57, as state councilor, who was also off the public radar for over a month before being sacked in July.

Reports claimed extra-marital affair behind Qin’s removal.

In China, the post of state councilor is a rank above Cabinet minister.

Sudden disappearance and sacking of top officials under Xi’s unprecedented third term as president has also been called as “leadership shock.”

Beijing has given no official reason for sacking of China’s top two faces.

In March, the Communist Party’s National Party Congress endorsed Xi's new Cabinet of 26 departments.

It is not known if there is any connection between the two officials losing their posts, given the similarity between their disappearing from public view and then being sacked.​​​​​​​

Before being picked up as China’s defense chief, Li was sanctioned by the US for leading Beijing’s defense cooperation with Russia.

Washington refused to lift sanctions, while Beijing resisted any high-level communication with Pentagon until the US waived off the restrictions.