China has ousted its defense minister, the second high-level firing of a top official in months. No explanation was given for Li Shangfu's removal, and Beijing has yet to name a replacement for him.
The removal of Li, 65, who is the target of sanctions by the United States, comes seven months after he was appointed and could help Washington and Beijing resume high-level military-to-military talks.
According to China's state media, Li was removed at a meeting Tuesday of China's top legislators, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. In addition to Li, former foreign minister Qin Gang was also removed from his only remaining position as a state councilor.
The removals of two top officials in relatively quick succession comes less than a year after China's leader Xi Jinping secured a norm-breaking third term in office and has raised questions about his leadership.
China's political system is extremely opaque and both Li and Qin's ousters followed a similar pattern leading to rampant speculation about Xi's grasp on power and the reasons for their ousting.
Li has not been seen in public since late August and Reuters reported last month that he was under investigation for suspected corruption related to the purchase and development of equipment.
Qin disappeared from the public eye earlier this year amid rumors of an extramarital affair that he reportedly had during his tenure as ambassador to the United States. He was removed from his post as foreign minister in July.
Li's removal leaves China, a country with the world's largest standing army, without a defense minister just days ahead of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, a multilateral dialogue where foreign defense officials meet to discuss joint military strategy.
Michael Chase, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, confirmed on Monday, before the firing, that a delegation from the Pentagon was invited and will attend the forum.
Commenting on the trip at an event Monday hosted by the Atlantic Council on the Pentagon's China Military Power report, Chase said, "In terms of kickstarting some of the military-to-military engagements, yes, I'm hopeful that we'll have an opportunity to do that in the coming months."
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment on the removal and potential it could have to restart military-to-military talks that China cut off.
"For any announcements regarding PLA personnel, I'll refer you to the PRC," the spokesperson said. "What I will say is that the DoD continues to believe in the importance of maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication between the United States and the PRC across multiple levels, including the senior-most levels."
Li has been a target of U.S. sanctions for his alleged role in helping Beijing acquire combat aircraft and other materiel from Moscow.
VOA National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report, some information for this report was provided by Reuters and AP.
