Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu (here, June 4, 2023) was removed from his post by Xi Jinping on October 24. Rozlan Rahman/AFP
Beijing has sacked its Defense Minister Li Shangfu and two other members of the Cabinet amid a difficult economic and geopolitical environment.
Correspondent in Asia
Xi Jinping is turning heads at the top of Communist China, even purging his circle of followers, in a geopolitical and economic climate weighed down by growth stagnation and the crisis in the Middle East. Defense Minister Li Shangfu was abruptly removed from his post on October 24 by presidential decree, while his public disappearance for weeks fueled speculation. The stark announcement, made public without explanation on state television news CCTV, marked a major reshuffle in the governing body of the second world power just months after Xi began his third term in office.
Against a backdrop of sluggish growth and a real estate crisis, ministers in charge of finance, Liu Kun, and Wang Zhigang, in charge of science and technology, were also ousted. Beijing also announced on the same day…
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