Li Shangfu and Xi Jinping. TT
China's foreign policy
Analyzes: Xi deeply possessed - clears out impure elements
It has become increasingly dangerous to question China's leader Xi Jinping, writes The Guardian's China correspondent Amy Hawkins in an analysis. This is about the country's missing defense minister Li Shangfu. He took up the post as recently as March, but has not been seen in public for three weeks.
Hawkins quotes researcher Olivia Cheung as saying that the party is "constantly seeking out and ridding itself of impure elements".
- Short-term damage to the party's image and cohesion is a cost that must be paid in order to build a disciplined and effective party in the long term.
At the same time, The Diplomat's Jianli Yang writes that Xi is "deeply obsessed with a security-conscious stance". He points out the remarkable fact that China's security services recently made demands on the United States ahead of a possible meeting between Xi and Biden.
Given that Chinese officials in principle never dare to step outside their boundaries, it must have been Xi himself who asked the security services to get involved in China's diplomatic relations - which in turn indicates that Xi wants to make national security one of his most important foreign policy issues, says Yang.
And for Xi, "the concept of national security primarily includes the security of his own personal power."
Qin Gang. Andy Wong / AP
WSJ: China's foreign minister fired after infidelity
China's former foreign minister Qin Gang was fired after an extramarital affair in the United States, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
The affair is said to have taken place during Qin Gang's time as ambassador to the United States. According to the sources, he should also have had a child together with the person with whom he had the relationship.
He had to leave the post as foreign minister in June, without explanation. The State Department has not responded to WSJ's interview request.
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