China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu was removed from his post, and his successor has already been appointed.
This was reported by the Hong Kong publication South China Morning Post (SCMP), explaining: “The decision on his resignation was approved by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.”
North Korean state media have neither given the reasons for Lee Shangfu’s resignation nor provided information about the next defense minister. However, Li did not appear in public for almost two months – since the end of August.
As DW notes, the information about Li Shangfu’s resignation became known a few days before the Pentagon delegation arrived in Beijing. According to experts, this visit can be a prologue to the resumption of contacts between the People’s Republic of China and the United States regarding the military line at a high level.
Two more North Korean ministers were also dismissed: Minister of Finance, Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang, and Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang.
Author: Anastasiia Mudrak.
