Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu has been out of sight since August, leading to speculation that he was out of favor. Now it is announced that he will be leaving his post. No replacement for Li has been named, but Liu Shanyi has been made the president of the military court. In a statement by the NPC Standing Committee, both Li and former Foreign Minister Qin Gang were stripped of their membership in the State Council. It is unclear if the measures taken against Li had something to do with ongoing corruption investigations which have targeted the Rocket Forces. Li was also under sanctions by the U.S. for purchases of certain Russian hardware.
Li’s departure now makes it more likely that U.S. officials will be meeting with his successor. This may also have been a consideration in the decision to relieve Li of his command, as China is in the process of establishing greater exchanges between senior officials. A high-level U.S. delegation will attend China’s 10th Xiangshan Forum over Oct. 29-31 (China’s equivalent to the Shangri-la Dialogue), and this could be the occasion for high-level military exchanges between the two parties. Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also be in the U.S. over Oct. 26-28 for discussions with his counterparts. These meetings indicate that there will probably be a Xi-Biden meeting at the APEC meeting in San Francisco in November.
