Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Minister of Defense of the People's Republic of China, Li Shangfu, has been dismissed. This was reported by China Central Television.
CCTV: Xi Jinping dismissed Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu
It is clarified that the personnel decision was made by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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Li Shangfu was elected to the post of Minister of Defense of the People's Republic of China in March of this year. Additionally, in October 2022, Li was elected as a member of the 20th Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China. The official occupied first place among the members of the Central Military Commission.
As Regnum reported, in September, US intelligence received information that the head of the Chinese Ministry of Defense, Li Shangfu, had been removed from office. According to the American authorities, the then former high-ranking official was under investigation in a criminal case brought against him.
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Sinologist explained what might be related to the resignation of the Chinese Defense Minister
It is unlikely that the resignation of Chinese Defense Minister Li Shanfu can be connected with the visit of a delegation from the Pentagon, says the director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University. Lomonosov Alexey Maslov . He stated this on October 24 to a Regnum correspondent .
Earlier it became known that Li Shangfu was dismissed. As some media noted, this happened a few days before the arrival of a delegation from the main US military department in China.
“Firstly, in fact, Li Shangfu was suspended a few days ago. And, apparently, his resignation had nothing to do with the visit of the delegation from the Pentagon,” Maslov said.
"Hong Kong newspapers launched a corresponding version in order to at least somehow try to explain what happened. Rather, we should pay attention to something else here. Today a decree was issued releasing an entire group of people from official duties. These include the Minister of Science and Technology and the Minister of Finance.”
As Maslov believes, there is a reason for each of these resignations, but it must be that in the context of serious changes within China related to the economy and military reform, these people were not effective enough. The orientalist recalled that Li Shangfu made very important decisions related to the development of missile forces and the development of the Chinese navy.
“Therefore, it is also not necessary to say that he is not involved in the slowdown of military reform,” the sinologist noted.
He noticed that usually in such a situation rumors appear that some kind of coup was being prepared and that these were, in fact, conspirators.
“But we don’t see this now either. There are no rumors. Moreover, I am now in the PRC and I see that China has reacted to these resignations absolutely indifferently, there are no rumors. Even at the level of idle conversations,” Maslov said.
He agreed that Li Shangfu's star had waned with 100 percent probability. There will be no new take-off, and the now former minister will not be given new attempts. However, it is possible that he, as well as a number of other retired high-ranking officials, may in the future become participants in certain political trials if the Chinese authorities elevate the case to the level of corruption scandals.
Maslov suggested that, apparently, Li Shangfu’s resignation was due to the fact that he did not carry out reforms in the army in the most successful way.
“The modernization of the armed forces is currently underway, which should be fully completed by 2035. And despite the double increase in China’s nuclear potential, it is believed that Li Shangfu did not actively implement these measures. In other words, the Chinese army, as Western observers suggest, is not in the shape it should be in if, for example, the situation around Taiwan escalates critically,” the sinologist noted .
In addition, he agreed that now tougher leaders will come to control the military department of the PRC.
It was previously reported that the decision to resign Li Shangfu was made by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Prior to this, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning refused to comment on rumors about the “ disappearance ” of Li Shangfu and his being under investigation.
In addition, the Financial Times, citing its own sources in US intelligence, reported that Li Shangfu had lost his position and became a defendant in a criminal case. Some experts have even jumped to conclusions that what is happening indicates chaos among the elite members of Beijing's military and foreign policy establishment.
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