China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu was fired on Tuesday two months after he disappeared from public view, becoming the second high-profile minister to lose his job recently without any official explanation.
Li was also removed from his positions as a member of the Central Military Commission – a powerful body headed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping who ultimately commands the armed forces – and as one of China’s five state councillors – a senior position in the cabinet that outranks a regular minister, state broadcaster CCTV reported Tuesday.
The decision was approved by the standing committee of the country’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress, according to CCTV. The committee did not name any successor to Li.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The general’s disappearance follows a series of unexplained personnel shakeups that have roiled the country’s upper ranks, including the dramatic ousting of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang in July.
The disappearance and dismissal of two senior ministers in quick succession has raised questions about the governance of Xi, who has made China’s political system even more opaque as he concentrates power and enforces strict party discipline.
Xi has also ramped up a campaign to bolster national security, seeking to eliminate any perceived threats and vulnerabilities to the ruling Communist Party amid rising tensions with the West.
Weeks before Li vanished from public view, Xi convened the military’s top brass in Beijing for a meeting, where he emphasized political loyalty, discipline and the party’s “absolute leadership” over the armed forces.
Days after that meeting, Xi sacked the two top generals of the PLA Rocket Force, an elite unite overseeing the nation’s arsenal of nuclear and ballistic missiles, sparking concerns of a broader purge in the military.
In a sign of his prominence, Zhang was promoted to first vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) during the leadership reshuffle last October despite having well passed the unofficial retirement age.
The original article contains 696 words, the summary contains 198 words. Saved 72%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
CNN has no idea what’s going on in China. The state department told them this.
Reuters is reporting that Chinese state media CCTV is reporting this, not the US state department.
no i meant about what’s going on inside China… i know how to read articles…
I mean if you don’t show up for work for two months, you shouldn’t be surprised when you get fired…
What is it with this generation and all the excuses? Boohoo, my alarm didn’t go off, my car wouldn’t start, I was perceived as a threat to the leadership of the CCP and kidnapped in the night. Back in my day, you show up to work on time no matter what, no excuses. This guy deserved to be fired.
I’m so tired of these millennials and their excuses. Grow up, put on your big boy pants, find your way out of the Chinese black site, and get your ass to work on time. Stop blamiglng everyone else for your problems. If your going to skip work everytime you run into a little inconvenience like being targeted for a political kidnapping, well don’t be surprised if your employer gives you the boot.
Title had me confused, right now its an indefinite disappearance, he hasnt been found
this is the guy who disappeared in an inky cloud of corruption a while back… all their generals are exactly as corrupt as Russian generals… they sell off materiel, they buy their ranks outright with cash, they pile up huge gambling debts and hooker bills which they pay for with military funds… they’re hilarious… their military is a joke…
