In Russia you fall out of a window; in China you just cease to exist.

China’s National Defense Minister Li Shangfu has been missing for weeks. Now, he’s under investigation for corruption and out of a job

Probably getting fired and/or arrested for corruption if I had to guess. Just a thought though.

Probably just routine cleansing. You can't let anyone stay in such high power in the military in these types of countries. That way they cant consolidate power against the regime.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

But it does indicate that despite his most strenuous efforts, such misconduct is still occurring at some of the highest and most visible levels of the People’s Liberation Army — potentially hampering his ambitions to modernize the force.

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, didn’t address Li’s disappearance and subsequent sacking at a press briefing Friday, CNN reported, telling reporters, “I’m not aware of the situation.” The Chinese government’s unwillingness to address the disappearances and firings of several top officials in recent months has only fueled speculation and rumor, both within China and internationally.

Prior to taking the defense minister post, the 65-year-old Li was head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, the body which oversees the PLA.

In recent years he has particularly targeted the PLA, where corruption is just the name of the game, as Roderick Lee, director of research at the Air University’s China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI), told Vox in an interview.

“In the case of Li, just like Qin Gang before, it’s perplexing that this happens so soon after a high profile elevation to a prominent role,” David Stroup, a lecturer in Chinese politics at the University of Manchester told Vox.

If the rumors and speculation about corruption in the EDD and Rocket Force — China’s most sensitive and vaunted military office — are true, that would certainly get in the way of those modernization goals.

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