China Defense Chief Mystery Adds to Leadership Turbulence
- Xi Jinping recently called for ‘unity’ in China’s military
- Li Shangfu was last seen in public on Aug. 29 in Beijing
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A mystery surrounding the status of China’s defense minister is raising questions about turbulence within President Xi Jinping’s new line-up of loyalist leaders less than a year into his third term.
Li Shangfu hasn’t been seen in public for more than two weeks, with a steady trickle of reports suggesting China’s fourth-most senior military figure is the latest top Communist Party official to be abruptly ousted from the upper echelons of Xi’s ranks.