Li Shangfu

{{Short description|Chinese engineer and former military administrator}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = ~~General~~

| name = Li Shangfu

| native_name = {{nobold|李尚福}}

| native_name_lang = zh

| image = Li Shangfu (2023-04-18).jpg

| caption = Li in 2023

| office = State Councilor of China

| alongside = Wang Xiaohong, Wu Zhenglong, Shen Yiqin, and Qin Gang

| premier = Li Qiang

| term_start = 12 March 2023

| term_end = 24 October 2023

| office1 = 13th Minister of National Defense

| term_start1 = 12 March 2023

| term_end1 = 24 October 2023

| premier1 = Li Qiang

| 1blankname1 = {{nowrap|CMC Chairman}}

| 1namedata1 = Xi Jinping

| predecessor1 = Wei Fenghe

| successor1 = Dong Jun

| office2 = Head of the Equipment Development Department

| term_start2 = September 2017

| term_end2 = October 2022

| predecessor2 = Zhang Youxia

| successor2 = Xu Xueqiang

| office3 = Commander of the China Manned Space Program

| term_start3 = September 2017

| term_end3 = October 2022

| predecessor3 = Zhang Youxia

| successor3 = Xu Xueqiang

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1958|2}}

| birth_place = Chengdu, Sichuan, China

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Chinese Communist Party (1980–2024; expelled)

| otherparty =

| spouse =

| children =

| parents =

| relations =

| alma_mater = {{ indented plainlist |

}}

| nickname =

| allegiance = {{PRC}}

| branch = {{army|China}}
{{Flagicon image|PLASSF.svg|size=23px}} People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force

| serviceyears = 1982–2024

| rank = 50px General
(stripped in 2024)

| unit =

| commands =

| battles =

| mawards =

| website =

}}

Li Shangfu ({{zh|c=李尚福|p=Lǐ Shàngfú}}; born February 1958) is a Chinese aerospace engineer and former military administrator. He served as the 13th Minister of National Defense and as State Councillor of China from March to October 2023.

Li joined the People's Liberation Army (PLA) as a technician at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in 1982. He spent 31 years working at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, including 10 years as the center director. Li Shangfu served as deputy director of the PLA General Armaments Department from 2014 to 2016 and director of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC) from 2017 to 2022. He was conferred the rank of General in July 2019 and was appointed as a member of the CMC in October 2022. He was appointed as the 13th Minister of National Defense and as State Councillor in March 2023.

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. In June 2024, he was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) following corruption charges and his case transferred to the military's judiciary for criminal prosecution, and his rank of General revoked.

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 ({{zh|李绍珠}}), a Red Army veteran and former high-ranking officer of the {{ill|PLA Railway Force|zh|中国人民解放军铁道兵}}.{{cite news |url=http://hebei.ifeng.com/news/fengguanyanzhao/detail_2015_01/08/3397557_1.shtml |script-title=zh:七大军区岗位调动超30人史鲁泽直升北京军区参谋长 |work=Phoenix News |date=8 January 2015 |language=zh}} Li Shangfu joined the PLA when he entered the National University of Defense Technology in 1978, and joined the CCP in June 1980. After graduating in 1982, he began working at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center as a technician.{{cite news |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-09/19/content_32187194.htm |title=PLA says chief of its arms wing replaced |date=19 September 2017 |work=China Daily |first=Zhao |last=Lei}}{{Cite news |script-title=zh:李尚福简历 |url=http://cpc.people.com.cn/n1/2023/0313/c64036-32643138.html |access-date=2024-09-18 |work=People's Daily |date=2023-03-13 |lang=zh-Hans |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315174201/http://cpc.people.com.cn/n1/2023/0313/c64036-32643138.html |archive-date=2023-03-15}}

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

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. 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.{{cite news |url=http://news.sina.com.cn/c/nd/2017-09-18/doc-ifykynia8039217.shtml |script-title=zh:李尚福任军委装备发展部部长从事航天30余年 |date=18 September 2017 |work=Sina |language=zh}}

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. A year later, he was made deputy director of the GAD.

File:Zhang Youxia (2017-12-07) 02.jpg, 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. In September 2017, Li was appointed Director of the Equipment Development Department of the CMC, the successor department of the GAD, replacing General Zhang Youxia.

In October 2017, Li was elected a member of the 19th CCP Central Committee.{{cite web |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-10/24/c_136702936.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025021849/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-10/24/c_136702936.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 25, 2017 |title=List of members of the 19th CPC Central Committee |publisher=Xinhua News Agency |date=24 October 2017}}

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.{{Cite web |title=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 |url=https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2019-07/31/content_5417617.htm |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.gov.cn}}

= Central Military Commission =

In October 2022, he was nominated as a member of the 20th CMC of the CCP by Party general secretary Xi Jinping.{{Cite news |last=Jash |first=Amrita |date=December 8, 2022 |title=The 20th Central Military Commission: Personnel and Priorities |language=en-US |work=Jamestown Foundation |url=https://jamestown.org/program/the-20th-central-military-commission-personnel-and-priorities/ |access-date=2023-04-19}} He ranked first among the members of the CMC.

On January 18, 2023, Li Shangfu attended the CMC promotion ceremony, and was appointed State Councilor and Minister of National Defense on March 12 of the same year, succeeding Wei Fenghe.{{Cite web |title=[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 |url=https://tv.cctv.com/2023/01/18/VIDEezklDzquHAfcMu1mVdQJ230118.shtml?spm=C31267.PXDaChrrDGdt.EbD5Beq0unIQ.7 |access-date=2023-03-12 |website=tv.cctv.com}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2023/02/who-is-li-shangfu-chinas-next-defense-minister/|title=Who Is Li Shangfu, China's Next Defense Minister?|first=Marcus|last=Clay|date=2023-02-27|newspaper=The Diplomat|access-date=April 19, 2023}}

File:SCO Defense Ministers meeting (2023).jpg defense 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 Defense 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’.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/17/chinas-defence-minister-and-putin-vow-to-strengthen-military-cooperation|title=China's defence minister and Putin vow to strengthen military cooperation|newspaper=The Guardian|date=2023-04-17|access-date=April 18, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3217362/russia-and-china-show-solidarity-chinese-defence-minister-li-shangfu-heads-moscow|title=Russia and China show solidarity as Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu heads to Moscow|first=Amber|last=Wang|newspaper=South China Morning Post|date=2023-04-17|access-date=April 18, 2023}} On April 28, he met with Indian Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation defense ministers' meeting in New Delhi, India, making it the first visit to India by a Chinese Defense Minister since the 2020 border skirmishes between Indian and Chinese troops.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-65399808|title=SCO: China defence minister in India amid border tensions|newspaper=BBC|date=2023-04-28|access-date=2023-04-30}}

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.{{Cite news |date=2023-06-04 |title=Li Shangfu: War with US would be unbearable disaster, says China defence minister |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-65803311 |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

= Removal =

In September 2023, Reuters reported that Li was under anti-corruption investigations by the Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CMC (CMCCDI).{{Cite news |date=2023-09-15 |title=Chinese defence minister under investigation for corrupt procurement |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-diplomat-questions-whether-chinese-defence-minister-under-house-arrest-2023-09-15/ |access-date=2023-09-15 |work=Reuters |language=en}} 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.{{Cite news |last=Sevastopulo |first=Demetri |date=2023-09-14 |title=Chinese defence minister under investigation by Beijing, US believes |url=https://www.ft.com/content/d0fa10c5-303c-4129-8283-a147639f70b3 |access-date=2023-09-15 |work=Financial Times}}

On 24 October 2023, the sixth meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) 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.{{Cite web |last=Zhu Ying (朱英) |title=十四届全国人大常委会第六次会议在京闭幕__中国政府网 |url=https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202310/content_6911357.htm |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.gov.cn}} He was also removed from the CMC.{{Cite web |last=NEWS |first=KYODO |title=China removes defense minister Li after nearly 2-month absence |url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/10/d55a337868d3-urgent-li-removed-from-china-defense-minister-post-report.html |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Kyodo News+}} With a tenure of seven months, Li is the shortest-serving minister of national defense of the People's Republic of China.{{cite web|url=

https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2023/10/24/china-ousts-missing-li-shangfu-as-defence-minister.html|title=China ousts 'missing' Li Shangfu as defence minister|newspaper=The Week|date=2023-10-24|access-date=2023-10-26}} His last public appearance was on 29 August 2023, when he delivered a speech at a security forum with African nations held in Beijing. On 4 March 2024, NPC spokesperson Lou Qinjian announced Li was no longer a delegate to the NPC,{{Cite news |date=4 March 2024 |title=娄勤俭回答《联合早报》记者：李尚福已经不是人大代表不能参加两会 |trans-title=Lou Qinjian replied to a reporter from "Lianhe Zaobao": Li Shangfu is no longer a deputy to the National People's Congress and cannot participate in the two sessions |url=https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20240304-1471939 |access-date=30 March 2024 |work=Lianhe Zaobao}} though there had been no official announcements on Li's dismissal or resignation until 13 September 2024, when the Standing Committee of the 14th NPC announced Li's dismissal.{{cite news |title=受权发布丨全国人民代表大会常务委员会公告〔十四届〕第六号-新华网 |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/20240913/882091051ad1483c8233d30902e2d580/c.html |access-date=14 September 2024 |agency=Xinhua News Agency |language=zh-Hans |date=13 September 2024}}

On 27 June 2024, the CCP Politburo announced that Li, along with former defense minister Wei Fenghe, have been expelled from the party for "disciplinary and law violations", and the case has been referred to the PLA's procuratorial organs for criminal prosecution, with Li being accused of accepting financial bribes as well as bribing others. Both the men were also stripped of their rank of general.{{cite news|url=https://english.news.cn/20240627/ed54cc4029c44a8e9a163d47fb8c77cd/c.html|title=CPC expels former Chinese defense minister Li Shangfu|agency=Xinhua News Agency|date=2024-06-27|access-date=2024-06-27}}{{cite news|url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-former-defence-ministers-li-shangfu-wei-fenghe-expelled-bribery-communist-party-4439876|title=China's Communist Party expels former defence ministers Li Shangfu, Wei Fenghe for corruption|work=Channel NewsAsia|date=2024-06-27|access-date=2024-06-27}} In July 2024, the 3rd Plenary Session of the 20th CCP Central Committee confirmed the decision to expel Li.{{Cite news |date=18 July 2024 |title=China Ousts Ex-Foreign Minister Qin Gang From Central Committee |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-18/china-ousts-ex-foreign-minister-qin-gang-from-central-commitee |access-date=18 July 2024 |work=Bloomberg News |first1=Josh |last1=Xiao |first2=Rebecca |last2=Choong Wilkins}}

Disputes

= 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."[https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/20/politics/russia-china-sanctions-caatsa-state-dept/index.html US sanctions Chinese military for buying Russian weapons] CNN, 21 September 2018.[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-sanctions/us-sanctions-china-for-buying-russian-fighter-jets-missiles-idUSKCN1M02TP U.S. sanctions China for buying Russian fighter jets, missiles] Reuters, 20 September 2018.[https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2018/09/286077.htm 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. As a result, he is included in the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.{{cite web|url=https://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov/Details.aspx?id=24838|title=Li Shangfu|newspaper=Office of Assets Control|access-date=April 19, 2023}} 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.{{cite web |last=Ching |first=Nike |date=2023-03-20 |title=US: Sanctions on China's New Defense Chief Not a Hurdle for Military Talks |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/us-sanctions-on-china-new-defense-chief-not-a-hurdle-for-military-talks/7013164.html |access-date=April 14, 2023 |website=Voice of America }}{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3213398/are-us-sanctions-chinas-new-defence-chief-real-barrier-dialogue|title=Are US sanctions on China's new defence chief the real barrier to dialogue?|first=Minnie|last=Chan|newspaper=South China Morning Post|date=2023-03-14|access-date=April 19, 2023}}

On 21 May 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden stated that his administration was considering lifting sanctions on Li,{{Cite news |last=Sevastopulo |first=Demetri |date=21 May 2023 |title=Joe Biden expects imminent 'thaw' in China relations |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/251f5e02-e375-44ed-af72-2eeae375b0cd |access-date=22 May 2023}} though later in a press briefing on 22 May, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that the United States is not considering lifting sanctions.{{Cite news |last=Lindberg |first=Kari Soo |date=23 May 2023 |title=US Now Says No Plan to Lift Sanctions on China Defense Minister |work=Bloomberg News |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-23/us-now-says-no-plan-to-lift-sanctions-on-china-defense-minister#xj4y7vzkg |access-date=23 May 2023}}