China's Defense Minister Removed from Office and Under Investigation, US Intelligence Reports

China's Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who had disappeared from the public eye, has been dismissed from his position and is currently under investigation. This information has been obtained by U.S. military intelligence, according to the Financial Times.

The minister had not been seen publicly for nearly two weeks. He had previously attributed his absence from certain events to health issues, but U.S. officials believe it is linked to legal problems faced by Li Shangfu.

“This is a sign of chaos among the elite members of Beijing's military and foreign policy structures,” the FT reported.

This move comes two months after Chinese President Xi Jinping dismissed two senior generals from the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, which oversees China's rapidly expanding arsenal of long-range missiles and nuclear weapons.

Li's potential investigation follows the disappearance of Qin Gang, who was removed from his position as China's foreign minister in July.

Sources familiar with the intelligence have not indicated what led the Biden administration to conclude that Li is under scrutiny. The White House has not commented on this information, and China's embassy in the U.S. has declined to provide comments.

Previously, in the spring of 2023, Li Shangfu visited Russia, where he held talks with President Vladimir Putin. Commenting on the meeting, Western media concluded that the Russian leader is thus showing a “middle finger” to the U.S.