General
Li Shangfu
李尚福
Li in 2023
State Councilor of the People's Republic of China
In office
12 March 2023 – 24 October 2023
PremierLi Qiang
13th Minister of National Defense
In office
12 March 2023 – 24 October 2023
PremierLi Qiang
CMC ChairmanXi Jinping
Preceded byWei Fenghe
Succeeded byDong Jun
Head of the Equipment Development Department
In office
September 2017 – October 2022
Preceded byZhang Youxia
Succeeded byXu Xueqiang
Commander of the China Manned Space Program
In office
September 2017 – October 2022
Preceded byZhang Youxia
Succeeded byXu Xueqiang
Personal details
BornFebruary 1958 (age 65)
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Political partyChinese Communist Party
Alma mater
Military service
Allegiance People's Republic of China
Branch/service People's Liberation Army Ground Force
People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force
Years of service1982–present
Rank General

Li Shangfu (Chinese: 李尚福; pinyin: Lǐ Shàngfú; born February 1958) is a Chinese aerospace engineer and former military administrator who served as the 13th Minister of National Defence of China and as State Councillor of China from March to October 2023. He joined the People's Liberation Army (PLA) as a technician at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in 1982. He was conferred the rank of general in July 2019 and was appointed as a member of the Central Military Commission in October 2022. In August 2023 Li disappeared from public view and was then removed from office on October 24, 2023. He is both the shortest-serving Minister of National Defense and the first from the PLA Strategic Support Force.

Li Shangfu previously served as Deputy Commander of the PLA Strategic Support Force and Deputy Commander of the PLA General Armaments Department. He spent 31 years working at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, including 10 years as the center director. He later served as head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission from 2017 to 2022.

Early life

Li Shangfu was born in February 1958 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, with his ancestral home in Xingguo County, Jiangxi Province. He is the son of Li Shaozhu (李绍珠), a Red Army veteran and former high-ranking officer of the PLA Railway Force.[1] Li Shangfu joined the PLA when he entered the National University of Defense Technology in 1978. After graduating in 1982, he began working at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center as a technician.[2]

Li attained a Doctor of Engineering in control theory and control engineering from Chongqing University.[3]

Career

In December 2003, he was promoted to Director (Commander) of the center at the age of 45. In 2006, he attained the rank of major general.[2] In his ten years as director of the Xichang center, Li oversaw several rocket launches, including the launch of the Chang'e 2 lunar probe in October 2010.[4]

After 31 years working in Xichang, Li was appointed Chief of Staff of the PLA General Armaments Department (GAD) in 2013, replacing Major General Shang Hong.[1][2] A year later, he was made Deputy Director of the GAD.[2]

Zhang Youxia, Li and the Chinese delegation in Moscow, Russia in 2017

In 2016, Li was appointed Deputy Commander of the newly established PLA Strategic Support Force, which is responsible for cyberspace, space, and other high-tech warfare. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in the same year.[2] In September 2017, Li was appointed Director of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, the successor department of the GAD, replacing General Zhang Youxia.[2]

In October 2017, Li was elected a member of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.[5]

Li Shangfu was conferred the rank of major general in July 2006. In August 2016, he was conferred the rank of lieutenant general. In July 2019, he was conferred the rank of general.[6]

Central Military Commission

In October 2022, he was nominated as a member of the 20th Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party by Party general secretary Xi Jinping.[7] He ranked first among the members of the Central Military Commission.[7]

On January 18, 2023, Li Shangfu attended the Central Military Commission promotion ceremony, and was appointed State Councilor and Minister of National Defense on March 12 of the same year, succeeding Wei Fenghe.[8] According to The Diplomat, Li's promotion reflects Chinese attempts to prioritize aerospace in its defense modernization program, against a backdrop of increasing technological competition between China and the United States.[9]

Li at the SCO defence ministers' meeting in New Delhi, India, 28 April 2023

On April 17, 2023, Li made his first overseas visit to Russia. As part of his four-day visit, he met with Russian president Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow. During his meeting, he stated the ties between China and Russia ‘surpass military-political alliances of the cold war era’.[10][11] On April 28, he met with Indian Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation defence ministers' meeting in New Delhi, India, making it the first visit to India by a Chinese Defence Minister since the 2020 border skirmishes between Indian and Chinese troops.[12]

In June 2023, at the 2023 IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Li made public comments stating that war with the United States would be an unbearable disaster and that both the United States and China needed to seek more common ground in the wake of recent escalations between the two countries.[13]

Concluded on 24 October 2023, the sixth meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress decided to remove Li Shangfu from the posts of State Councilor and Minister of National Defense and remove Qin Gang from the post of State Councilor.[14] He has also been removed from the Central Military Commission.[15] With a tenure of seven months, Li is the shortest-serving minister of national defense of the People's Republic of China.[16]

Disputes

Corruption allegations

In September 2023, Reuters reported that Li was under anti-corruption investigations by the Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Central Military Commission.[17] His absence had been observed and speculated on by U.S. government officials, who told the Financial Times they believed that Li was under investigation.[18]

On 24 October 2023, it was reported through China Central Television that the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress signed off on his removal from the Ministry of National Defense, following a two month absence from public view, without specifying the cause. His last public appearance was on 29 August 2023, when he delivered a speech at a security forum with African nations held in Beijing.[15]

U.S. sanctions

On 20 September 2018, Li Shangfu, along with the Equipment Development Department, were sanctioned by the U.S. government for "engaging in significant transactions with persons" sanctioned under United States federal law CAATSA, namely for transactions that involved "Russia's transfer to China of Su-35 combat aircraft and S-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment."[19][20][21] As a result, he is included in the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.[22] Despite the sanctions imposed on him by the United States, he would be allowed to conduct official meetings with his American counterparts although an exemption will not be issued to waive his sanction designation.[23][24]

On 21 May 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden stated that his administration was considering lifting sanctions on Li,[25] though later in press briefing on 22 May, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that the United States is not considering lifting sanctions.[26]

References

  1. ^ a b 七大军区岗位调动超30人 史鲁泽直升北京军区参谋长. Phoenix News (in Chinese). 8 January 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Zhao Lei (19 September 2017). "PLA says chief of its arms wing replaced". China Daily.
  3. ^ 人民网–金台资讯. "李尚福简历". 人民网–金台资讯. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  4. ^ 李尚福任军委装备发展部部长 从事航天30余年. Sina (in Chinese). 18 September 2017.
  5. ^ "List of members of the 19th CPC Central Committee". Xinhua News Agency. 24 October 2017. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017.
  6. ^ "中央军委举行晋升上将军衔警衔仪式 习近平颁发命令状并向晋衔的军官警官表示祝贺_滚动新闻_中国政府网". www.gov.cn. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  7. ^ a b Jash, Amrita (December 8, 2022). "The 20th Central Military Commission: Personnel and Priorities". Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  8. ^ "[视频]中央军委举行晋升上将军衔仪式 习近平颁发命令状并向晋衔的军官表示祝贺". tv.cctv.com. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  9. ^ Clay, Marcus (2023-02-27). "Who Is Li Shangfu, China's Next Defense Minister?". The Diplomat. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  10. ^ "China's defence minister and Putin vow to strengthen military cooperation". The Guardian. 2023-04-17. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  11. ^ Wang, Amber (2023-04-17). "Russia and China show solidarity as Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu heads to Moscow". South China Morning Post. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  12. ^ "SCO: China defence minister in India amid border tensions". BBC. 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  13. ^ "Li Shangfu: War with US would be unbearable disaster, says China defence minister". BBC News. 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  14. ^ Zhu Ying (朱英). "十四届全国人大常委会第六次会议在京闭幕__中国政府网". www.gov.cn. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  15. ^ a b NEWS, KYODO. "China removes defense minister Li after nearly 2-month absence". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  16. ^ "China ousts 'missing' Li Shangfu as defence minister". The Week. 2023-10-24. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  17. ^ "Chinese defence minister under investigation for corrupt procurement". Reuters. 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  18. ^ Sevastopulo, Demetri (2023-09-14). "Chinese defence minister under investigation by Beijing, US believes". Financial Times. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  19. ^ US sanctions Chinese military for buying Russian weapons CNN, 21 September 2018.
  20. ^ U.S. sanctions China for buying Russian fighter jets, missiles Reuters, 20 September 2018.
  21. ^ CAATSA Section 231: "Addition of 33 Entities and Individuals to the List of Specified Persons and Imposition of Sanctions on the Equipment Development Department" U.S. Department of State, September 20, 2018.
  22. ^ "Li Shangfu". Office of Assets Control. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  23. ^ Ching, Nike (2023-03-20). "US: Sanctions on China's New Defense Chief Not a Hurdle for Military Talks". Voice of America. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  24. ^ Chan, Minnie (2023-03-14). "Are US sanctions on China's new defence chief the real barrier to dialogue?". South China Morning Post. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  25. ^ Sevastopulo, Demetri (21 May 2023). "Joe Biden expects imminent 'thaw' in China relations". Financial Times. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  26. ^ Lindberg, Kari Soo (23 May 2023). "US Now Says No Plan to Lift Sanctions on China Defense Minister". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 23 May 2023.

External links

Military offices Preceded byXu Hongliang [zh] Director of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center 2003–2013 Succeeded byZhang Zhenzhong Preceded byShang Hong [zh] Chief of Staff of the Headquarters of the General Armament Department of the People's Liberation Army 2013–2014 Succeeded byFei Jiabing [zh] New title Chief of Staff of the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force 2016–2017 Succeeded byRao Kaixun Preceded byZhang Youxia Commander of the China Manned Space Program 2017–2022 Succeeded byXu Xueqiang Head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission 2017–2022 Government offices Preceded byGeneral Wei Fenghe Minister of National Defense 2023 Succeeded byAdmiral Dong Jun
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