Snap Insight: Two Chinese ministers fired in three months – Xi Jinping must put domestic affairs in order

WELLINGTON: After having been conspicuously absent for more than two months, Li Shangfu was abruptly removed as China’s defence minister on Tuesday (Oct 24). It ends weeks of intense speculation about his status but raises fresh questions about President Xi Jinping’s leadership team.

This is the second high-profile sacking in three months: Qin Gang was abruptly fired as foreign minister in July after a similarly mysterious absence. Both men are now China’s shortest-serving leaders in these portfolios.

POLITICAL LOYALTY IS NO INSURANCE

There is no evidence that General Li was removed due to his political disloyalty. A military “princeling” whose father participated in the Long March, he was one of Mr Xi’s most trusted generals, rising rapidly through the ranks.

He oversaw weapons design and procurement, and spearheaded Mr Xi’s vision of military modernisation. He was a veteran leader of China’s ambitious space programme, overseeing numerous space missions. In March, he replaced Wei Fenghe as state councillor and defence minister.

As the public face of the military, he demonstrated political loyalty to Mr Xi. In his visit to Moscow in April, General Li was reported as calling Russian President Vladimir Putin an “extraordinary” leader who made “important contributions to promoting world peace”, reinforcing Mr Xi’s commitment to the “no-limits” partnership with Russia.