Everything We Know About China’s Missing Defense Minister

  • China’s Li Shangfu has been out of view for three weeks
  • Episode renews worries about decision-making under Xi
Li Shangfu during the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on June 4.Photographer: Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images
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Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu has disappeared from public view, adding to speculation about potential trouble within the upper echelons of the nation’s leadership.

Li’s absence comes just months after the ouster of other senior officials, including former Foreign Minister Qin Gang and generals in the command managing the country’s nuclear arsenal.