[🇨🇳] What makes Chinese politicians, businessmen, military personnel, sportsmen go missing.

[🇨🇳] What makes Chinese politicians, businessmen, military personnel, sportsmen go missing.
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Krishna with Flute

Krishna with Flute

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Date of Event: Jan 27, 2025
There is a long list of missing Chinese Politicians, Businessmen, military personnel. Those who tries to open its mouth against Dictator Xi goes missing in some time. List is going long which came into attention with the disappearance of Jack Ma is still on. There is no end to it.
 

Disappearance of Ministers Underscores China’s Unpredictability as Xi Tightens Grip​

4 minute read
qin-gang-li-shangfu-china.jpg
Qin Gang, China’s minister of foreign affairs, in Berlin on May 9; Li Shangfu, China’s minister of national defense, in Singapore on June 4.Thomas Trutschel—picture-alliance/dpa/AP; Vincent Thian—AP
By Chad de Guzman
September 18, 2023 7:00 AM EDT
General Li Shangfu, China’s defense minister, was last seen in public on Aug. 29, when he gave a nondescript speech at a China-Africa security forum in Beijing. When he conspicuously didn’t show up to an international meeting he was expected to attend in early September, Chinese officials said it was due to a “health condition.” Reports last week suggest he’s actually under investigation for corruption and set to be removed, but a Chinese spokesperson would not confirm such to reporters.

Li’s mysterious absence follows the similar disappearance of China’s former foreign minister Qin Gang, who was last seen in public on June 25 before being unceremoniously replaced from his cabinet post by his predecessor Wang Yi. Qin—who was also initially said to be facing unspecified “health issues” amid intense speculation and rumors of an extramarital affair—has still not reappeared in public.


That two high-profile ministers have gone missing without explanation in a matter of months underscores the opacity and unpredictability of Xi Jinping’s government.

Read More: The World's Future Is in the Hands of Chinese President Xi Jinping


Such a dramatic upheaval among the highest ranks of the Chinese Communist Party is quite unusual, Victor Shih, a professor of political science and director of the 21st Century China Center at the University of California in San Diego, tells TIME. Government officials are extensively vetted before appointments and promotions to ensure stability, and Li and Qin had just been elevated to the State Council, the country’s top administrative body, earlier this year. “You would think that everyone who’s left has already shown that they’re very loyal to [Xi],” Shih says, “or they would not be in senior positions.”

But more than just generating intrigue, the abrupt, unexplained oustings of Li and Qin also threaten, experts say, to further complicate the already difficult challenge of working with China—for foreign businesses and foreign governments alike.


“Businesses do not like uncertainties of any kind,” Chen Gang, deputy director of the East Asia Institute at the National University of Singapore, tells TIME. China’s lack of transparency—the government cut off international access to public data and has stopped publishing a number of national economic indicators, such as the youth unemployment rate—reduces confidence and heightens risk for foreign investors. The looming threat, implied by the sudden apparent removal of two officials who operated in prominent diplomatic roles, that the government could change direction at a moment’s notice exacerbates the uncertainty of doing business with China, Chen says. That said, he adds, many would welcome a shift in China’s current approach to foreign engagement, which has grown increasingly hostile, and the recent cabinet shakeup could be a “window of opportunity” for that to take place.

Read More: China’s Expanded Anti-Espionage Law Threatens Business Consultants and Advisers

But while it’s unclear yet if Xi’s foreign or defense policy will actually change as a result, Drew Thompson, a former Pentagon official and senior fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, tells TIME, the turnover itself highlights the degree to which Xi has consolidated power and made everyone else in government replaceable.


Even as China’s domestic economy is in turmoil and doubts reportedly linger among CCP elders about Xi’s competence, current Chinese officials are only likely to become even more “afraid of making decisions or speaking out,” says Thompson.

“This presents a tremendous challenge to companies seeking to influence or even inform decision makers in China about the impact of their policies,” he adds. “As foreign interlocutors seek to engage with Chinese counterparts, they’re not engaging with decision makers in the party; they’re engaging with implementers.”

time.com

What to Make of China’s Mysteriously Missing Ministers

That two high-profile cabinet members have disappeared without explanation in a matter of months underscores the opacity and unpredictability of Xi Jinping’s government.
time.com time.com
 

And then there were none’: After Chinese foreign minister, now defence minister goes missing​



The whereabouts of China’s defence minister have been called into question as he has not been seen in public for almost two weeks now.

Rumours about General Li Shangfu going missing from the public eye have come after president Xi Jinping replaced a number of top Chinese government officials, including his foreign minister and two army generals who oversaw the country’s nuclear and missile arsenal.


The government reshuffles, of which the sacking of foreign minister Qin Gang had raised the most eyebrows, has elicited an interesting response from a top US diplomat who likened them to an Agatha Christie novel.


“President Xi’s cabinet lineup is now resembling Agatha Christie’s novel ‘And Then There Were None’,” posted Rahm Emanuel, the US envoy to Japan, on Twitter/X. “First, foreign minister Qin Gang goes missing, then the rocket force commanders go missing, and now defence minister Li Shangfu hasn’t been seen in public for two weeks.”

“Who’s going to win this unemployment race? China’s youth or Xi’s cabinet? #MysteryInBeijingBuilding” he said.

Recommended
General Li was last seen in public on 29 August, when he delivered a keynote speech at the third China-Africa Peace and Security Forum in Beijing.


In the same month, reports emerged that Mr Xi had, in a major reshuffle, replaced two rocket force generals who oversaw the country’s nuclear and missile arsenal.

The two generals – Li Yuchao, chief of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) rocket force unit, and his deputy, Liu Guangbin – have not been seen in public for months.


Similarly, it came to light in July that foreign minister Qin Gang had not been seen in public for more than three weeks.

President Xi's cabinet lineup is now resembling Agatha Christie's novel And Then There Were None. First, Foreign Minister Qin Gang goes missing, then the Rocket Force commanders go missing, and now Defense Minister Li Shangfu hasn't been seen in public for two weeks. Who's going…

— ラーム・エマニュエル駐日米国大使 (@USAmbJapan) September 8, 2023
Click to expand...
 

And then there were none’: After Chinese foreign minister, now defence minister goes missing​

‘President Xi’s cabinet lineup is now resembling Agatha Christie’s novel’​


​

Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu delivers his speech at a session of the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security during the International Military-Technical Forum Army-2023

open image in gallery
Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu delivers his speech at a session of the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security during the International Military-Technical Forum Army-2023 (EPA)
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The whereabouts of China’s defense minister have been called into question as he has not been seen in public for almost two weeks now.

Rumours about General Li Shangfu going missing from the public eye have come after president Xi Jinping replaced a number of top Chinese government officials, including his foreign minister and two army generals who oversaw the country’s nuclear and missile arsenal.


The government reshuffles, of which the sacking of foreign minister Qin Gang had raised the most eyebrows, has elicited an interesting response from a top US diplomat who likened them to an Agatha Christie novel.


“President Xi’s cabinet lineup is now resembling Agatha Christie’s novel ‘And Then There Were None’,” posted Rahm Emanuel, the US envoy to Japan, on Twitter/X. “First, foreign minister Qin Gang goes missing, then the rocket force commanders go missing, and now defence minister Li Shangfu hasn’t been seen in public for two weeks.”

“Who’s going to win this unemployment race? China’s youth or Xi’s cabinet? #MysteryInBeijingBuilding” he said.


General Li was last seen in public on 29 August, when he delivered a keynote speech at the third China-Africa Peace and Security Forum in Beijing.


In the same month, reports emerged that Mr Xi had, in a major reshuffle, replaced two rocket force generals who oversaw the country’s nuclear and missile arsenal.

The two generals – Li Yuchao, chief of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) rocket force unit, and his deputy, Liu Guangbin – have not been seen in public for months.


Similarly, it came to light in July that foreign minister Qin Gang had not been seen in public for more than three weeks.

President Xi's cabinet lineup is now resembling Agatha Christie's novel And Then There Were None. First, Foreign Minister Qin Gang goes missing, then the Rocket Force commanders go missing, and now Defense Minister Li Shangfu hasn't been seen in public for two weeks. Who's going…

— ラーム・エマニュエル駐日米国大使 (@USAmbJapan) September 8, 2023
Click to expand...

Mr Qin was last seen on 25 June when he met visiting officials from Sri Lanka, Russia and Vietnam. Since then, the 57-year-old diplomat, a close confidante of Mr Xi, has not been seen in public amid rumours of his extramarital affair with a TV presenter.


“I have no information to offer,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was quoted as saying by a reporter from German newspaper Die Presse, on being asked about the rumours.

Mr Qin’s predecessor Wang Yi had then stepped into the senior role.

China’s former foreign minister Qin Gang as seen on 14 April

open image in gallery
China’s former foreign minister Qin Gang as seen on 14 April (AP)
A week after the appointment of new generals to the rocket force that also occurred in July, the South China Morning Post reported the move to be part of a new anti-corruption drive.

“As well as its role in the country’s nuclear deterrent, the rocket force is also an important element in Beijing’s efforts to ramp up the military pressure on Taiwan,” said the SCMP report.

Mr Xi also made comments as recently as on 9 September about maintaining a “high level of integrity and unity of the armed forces, and ensuring the military stays stable and secure”, reported Chinese state-run media Xinhua.

Meanwhile, the defence minister’s absence from the public stage comes after China’s military launched an investigation into corruption cases associated with hardware procurement dating back over five years, Bloomberg reported.

The PLA’s Equipment Development Department identified eight specific concerns it was looking into, including “leaking information on projects and army units” and helping certain companies secure bids.


In August, The Atlantic published a report in which Beijing-based author Michael Schuman wrote, “China’s communist regime has always been opaque. But the more China’s global power rises, the more problematic the Communist Party’s secrecy becomes.”

“Secrecy is the default position of the Communist Party anyway, but it has been put on steroids under Xi,” Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London, was quoted as saying.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

The growing list of disappearing and resurfacing Chinese leaders, elites - Times of India

China News: The recent 'disappearance' of China's defence minister, Li Shangfu, is part of a pattern of high-ranking officials and prominent personalities falling
timesofindia.indiatimes.com timesofindia.indiatimes.com
 
Gravitas

China's J-20 fighter jet designer, top scientist 'missing' amid corruption probe | Gravitas​

byWION Video Team
Updated 21 Jan 2025 23:00 IST
The profiles of two senior executives at China's top aircraft manufacturer, including the J-20 stealth fighter's chief designer, have been removed from the website without explanation. What's more, Hao Zhaoping, AVIC's general manager, and Yang Wei, deputy general manager and lead engineer on the J-20, haven't been seen publicly for months.

www.wionews.com

China's J-20 fighter jet designer, top scientist 'missing' amid corruption probe | Gravitas

The profiles of two senior executives at China's top aircraft manufacturer, including the J-20 stealth fighter's chief designer, have been removed from the website without explanation. What's more, Hao Zhaoping, AVIC's general manager, and Yang Wei, deputy general manager and lead engineer on...
www.wionews.com www.wionews.com
 

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