Li Shangfu has not been seen in public for more than two weeks, fuelling speculation about his position as defence minister.
Li has refused to hold meetings with US counterparts until Washington lifts sanctions on him, imposed by then president Donald Trump in 2018 for his procurement of Russian military technology.
"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," Emanuel posted last week on X, the former Twitter, using the hashtag #MysteryInBeijingBuilding."1st: Defense Minister Li Shangfu hasn't been seen or heard from in 3 weeks.
Li had been due to attend an annual gathering on defence cooperation hosted by Vietnam on its border with China from Sep 7 to Sep 8, but the meeting was postponed after Beijing told Hanoi days before the event that the minister had a"health condition", two Vietnamese officials said.
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