China Investigating Xi's Allies Qin Gang and Li Shangfu—Taiwan Spy Chief

China has opened formal investigations into its defense minister, Gen. Li Shangfu, and its ex-foreign minister, Qin Gang, Taiwan's intelligence chief said on Wednesday, confirming weeks of speculation and anonymous reporting after their abrupt disappearance from the public eye over the summer.

Qin faced a disciplinary probe related to an alleged "sex scandal," while Li was being investigated on corruption charges that went back five years, Tsai Ming-yen, the head of Taiwan's National Security Bureau, told lawmakers in Taipei, in what was the first public acknowledgement of their fate by any government.

Qin spent only seven months as foreign minister before his dismissal in July in a one-sentence government notice. Li was promoted to defense chief in March but hasn't been seen in public since late August. Both men rose to top posts as close allies of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Qin, who is listed on China's Foreign Ministry website as "married with a son," was said to have been involved in an extramarital affair with a Chinese state media reporter, who later had a child by surrogacy in the United States.

Beijing's case against Qin was meant to determine whether "any secrets were leaked in the course of the scandal," Tsai told members of Taiwan's Foreign and National Defense Committee.

The anti-graft probe into Li dated back to October 2017, to the start of his role as head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, Tsai said. Li was tasked with procuring advanced weaponry and equipment for China's armed forces.

In the weeks before Li went missing, Xi replaced two leaders in the Chinese military's rocket force, whose responsibilities include the country's nuclear arsenal. Their removal followed a speech in which Xi called for more disciplined governance.

Asked why Beijing would retroactively investigate Li, a "handpicked" Xi loyalist, Taiwan's spy chief pointed to the Communist Party's significant investments in the arms deals overseen by Li's office.

"Any corruption within the organization will certainly affect its future force development," Tsai said.

Tsai said he was unable to discuss his agency's sources, while the bureau declined to elaborate on its director's remarks when reached by phone on Thursday.

"In the last 10 years, the Taiwanese government's assessments on political and military developments in the People's Republic of China have garnered positive responses from U.S. government agencies and officials," said Bryce Barros, an independent China analyst based in Washington, D.C.

U.S. government agencies and officials would also verify the claims through their own sources and methods, he said.

Both Qin and Li remain state councillors, or senior members of the central government.

Beijing's moves against Li and the rocket force officers were likely "a rectification campaign for strict discipline," said Alexander Huang, director of international affairs for the Kuomintang, Taiwan's largest opposition party.

The Chinese government hasn't offered an official explanation. Its Foreign Ministry didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

"If confirmed, the situations that Qin Gang and Li Shangfu face demonstrate that corruption and internal politicking within the Chinese Communist Party are disadvantaged compared to democratic political systems that select and promote officials based on competence and merit," Barros said.

The removal of up to two public-facing Chinese officials in such a short time frame has raised questions about the stability of China's military ranks at a time when it is rapidly expanding its hard power.

The sensitivity of the matter was such that White House officials reportedly tried to rein in the social media activity of Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, who regularly poked fun at China's growing list of missing ministers. Emanuel denied the claim.