The vacancy left by China's now-fired minister of national defense won't reduce the threat China poses to Taiwan, according to the island's defense and intelligence agencies.
Chinese state media last week said President Xi Jinping had formally removed Li Shangfu, who hasn't been seen in public since August 29, from the country's top defense post. Li and ex-Foreign Minister Qin Gang, whom Xi fired in July, were also officially ejected from China's cabinet.
The removal of Li and Qin, both considered Xi loyalists, has raised concerns over the stability of China's military forces and the effect on the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. China claims democratic Taiwan as its own, despite the fact the Chinese Communist Party has never ruled there, and Beijing often threatens to annex its neighbor by force.
China's defense ministry and the U.S. Department of State didn't immediately respond to Newsweek's requests for comment.
During a session of Taiwan's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in Taipei on Monday, legislator Tsai Shih-ying questioned the minister of national defense and the National Security Bureau deputy director-general, voicing concern that the recent changes among China's defense leadership would affect Taiwan's national security.
Tsai pointed out that on the website of China's defense ministry, Li is still listed on the chain of command of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Military Commission, along with five other officials under President Xi. However, Li's name has been removed from the otherwise identical list of the People's Republic of China (China's official name) Central Military Commission.
The Central Military Commission, which controls the People's Liberation Army, People's Armed Police and the Militia of China, operates as two parallel hierarchies under the above two names, enabling it to control the military and party bureaucracies at once.
He asked the officials why Li was still on the committee after having been removed from office.
Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng said the fact Li's name was still on the list means his successor hasn't yet been determined. Both officials said their respective agencies reports had concluded that the new defense minister would be chosen at the third plenary of the Central Committee later this year.
Tsai then asked if Li's departure would have an impact on China's national military strategy or on the current situation in the Taiwan Strait. "I don't think so because [the military leadership] is listening to Xi Jinping. [Xi's] thinking is probably that the military is supporting the national strategy; this is inevitable," Chiu said.
"We are still concerned, but [China's] general strategy is the same," Chiu said.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Micah McCartney is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers U.S.-China relations, East Asian and Southeast Asian ... Read more
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