China dismisses Li Changfu from the post of Defense Minister after dismissing Qin Gang

HONG KONG – China announced the dismissal of General Li Changfu as defense minister on Tuesday, the latest dismissal of a senior leader in the country who has disappeared from public view with little explanation.

Li and former Foreign Minister Chen Gang were stripped of their positions as state advisers on Tuesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported, in a rare move to remove officials from the ruling Communist Party’s inner circle.

Li’s dismissal came nearly two months after an absence that sparked widespread speculation, and three months after Chen — a former ambassador to the United States who was once seen as a fast-rising disciple of President Xi Jinping — was dismissed in mysterious circumstances. This also comes in the wake of the recent change in leadership of the country’s nuclear forces.

Beijing faces economic problems and rising tensions with the United States. It was not clear whether the turmoil at the summit would signal any policy shift or instead reflect a deepening crackdown on corruption and perceived disloyalty.

“Ultimately, party sovereignty over state is what Xi Jinping was focusing on,” said Alexander Neal, a Singapore-based strategic advisor for Asia-Pacific geopolitics.

“It’s certainly a hallmark of his distillation of power and control in China,” he told NBC News.

Chen’s replacement, Wang Yi, is in Washington this week to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, paving the way for a potential first meeting between President Joe Biden and Xi in a year.

No explanation was given for the dismissal of the two men, as is usual in ruling the country. This came after a vote by China’s top lawmakers, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, which chose to leave Li’s position vacant.

Although Lee held the title of Secretary of Defense, his role was more ceremonial than that of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

“The People’s Liberation Army is not like the United States. It is not an army that is under the command of the presidency. It is accountable to the leadership of the Communist Party,” Neal said.

However, the aerospace engineer and military general was a prominent figure in Xi’s government.

Neil said his dismissal could mean that the United States may now end up having a direct dialogue with senior officers of the People’s Liberation Army itself.

Lee, who took office in March during a cabinet reshuffle, has not been seen in public since August 29.

A series of reports in Western media, including the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, indicated that he was under investigation for corruption and was about to be impeached.

NBC News has not confirmed these details.

The duo’s removal from the center of government power effectively ends their political careers. However, little is known about their whereabouts or whether they will be prosecuted.

Li also remains under sanctions by Washington for his role in China’s purchase of Russian weapons in 2017. At the time, China expressed “strong indignation” at the move, calling it “unreasonable” and a “mistake.”