Chinese Defense Minister’s Disappearance Indicates Power Struggle, Raises Questions About CCP’s Leadership: Experts

Chinese Defense Minister’s Disappearance Indicates Power Struggle, Raises Questions About CCP’s Leadership: Experts
(L-R) Chinese State Councilor Qin Gang, State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council Wu Zhenglong, and State Councilor Li Shangfu swear an oath after they were 'elected' during the fifth plenary session of China's rubber-stamp legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 12, 2023. Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images
Venus Upadhayaya
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Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu has been missing for over two weeks. Experts told The Epoch Times that whatever may be the reason, the increasing trend of unexplained disappearances of top officials puts the leadership under heightened scrutiny and raises serious doubts about its credibility, and increases security threats for neighboring countries.

“The disappearance of China’s defense minister, the latest in a string of upheavals in the country’s top ranks, is stoking uncertainty about President Xi Jinping’s rule as an internal security clampdown trumps international engagement,” Nishakant Ojha, a New Delhi-based defense analyst who has formerly served in various Indian foreign missions, told The Epoch Times in an email.

Venus Upadhayaya
Venus Upadhayaya
Reporter
Venus Upadhayaya reports on India, China, and the Global South. Her traditional area of expertise is in Indian and South Asian geopolitics. Community media, sustainable development, and leadership remain her other areas of interest.
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