U.S. Ambassador Raises Questions About China’s Defence Minister’s Whereabouts
TOKYO/BEIJING – The U.S. ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, took to social media on Friday to question the whereabouts of China’s defence minister, Li Shangfu, adding to the confusion surrounding his two-week absence from public view. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Emanuel wrote: “1st: Defense Minister Li Shangfu hasn’t been seen or heard from in 3 weeks. 2nd: He was a no-show for his trip to Vietnam. Now: He’s absent from his scheduled meeting with the Singaporean Chief of Navy because he was placed on house arrest???” The post was accompanied by the hashtag #MysteryInBeijingBuilding and a quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
The U.S. government, according to the Financial Times, believes that Li has been placed under investigation. Three U.S. officials and two people briefed on the intelligence reportedly shared this information. However, the nature of the investigation was not disclosed.
China’s foreign and defence ministries have yet to respond to requests for comment on the matter. The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo stated that it did not have any further comment at the time.
This recent development follows Reuters’ exclusive report on Thursday that Li abruptly pulled out of a meeting with Vietnamese defence leaders last week. The defence minister was last seen in Beijing on August 29 delivering a keynote address at a security forum with African nations.
The absence of Li raises concerns among analysts and diplomats about the lack of transparency and unpredictable decision-making within China’s leadership. This comes after the unexplained replacement of China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, in July after an extended absence from the public eye, as well as recent changes in the leadership of the People’s Liberation Army’s elite Rocket Force.
Li, who assumed his position in March, is also one of China’s five state councillors, which is a cabinet position that holds higher rank than a regular minister.
As of now, it remains unclear which meeting with Singapore Rahm was referring to in his social media post. The Singapore Navy’s Rear Admiral Sean Wat was in China from September 4-9 and reportedly met with PLA Navy commander Dong Jun and other Navy leaders. However, there was no mention of a meeting or scheduled meeting with Li on Singapore’s defence ministry website.
Singapore’s defence ministry has not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter.
Reporting by Yukiko Toyoda in Tokyo, Yew Lun Tian and Martin Pollard in Beijing, and Xinghui Kok in Singapore; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Neil Fullick
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