Xinhua News Agency stated that the presidential decree was issued based on personnel changes approved by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the Chinese legislative body, on the same day. State Councillors are high-level positions in the government.
According to Xinhua News Agency, former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has also been removed from his position as a State Councilor. Qin Gang was replaced in July after disappearing from public view for a month.
The Chinese government has not appointed a replacement for Li Shangfu, nor has it announced the reasons for his dismissal. At the age of 65, Li Shangfu was primarily responsible for military diplomacy when he served as Minister of National Defense, and was not responsible for directing combat operations.
The dismissal of Li Shangfu may clear an obstacle for efforts to resume high-level military dialogue between China and the United States, but it depends on who will be appointed to take over his position. The high-level military dialogue between the two countries is a priority issue for Washington, but the previous request made by the United States has been rejected by the Chinese government. Li Shangfu is one of the targets of US sanctions, which China previously used as a key factor in refusing to arrange a formal meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
According to a previous report by the Wall Street Journal, Chinese authorities took Li Shangfu away for questioning in September this year.   This committee is responsible for commanding the Chinese military. About six years ago, the Communist Party of China conducted a corruption investigation into two senior generals, resulting in one committing suicide and the other being sentenced to life imprisonment.
   
Li Shangfu's last public appearance was on August 29th this year, when he delivered a speech at a China Africa Security Conference held in Beijing. Li Shangfu's dismissal is similar to the recent dismissal of other senior officers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the sudden dismissal of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang.
Li Shangfu served as the director of a satellite launch base in China and joined the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China in October 2022. In March of this year, he was appointed as the Minister of Defense and was also appointed to the high-level government position of State Councilor.
  US officials say a lack of transparency has hindered Washington's efforts to engage with Beijing, especially in military affairs where bilateral dialogue has stalled.
Li Shangfu's dismissal is the latest in a series of unusual personnel changes at the top of the People's Liberation Army this year. This personnel change has sparked speculation about China's high-level anti-corruption campaign in the military.
In late July, China appointed a new commander of its strategic missile force, and the dismissed commander held that important position for a very short period of time. In September of this year, the President of the People's Liberation Army Military Court was dismissed only eight months after taking office. The Chinese government did not provide an explanation for these changes, and the National People's Congress appointed a new president of the Military Court on Tuesday.
Chinese political observers say that Li Shangfu's dismissal may involve his tenure as the head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, which was responsible for weapons research and procurement. He held this position from 2017 to 2022.
At the end of July, about a month before Li Shangfu's last public appearance, the Equipment Development Department of the Military Commission issued a notice stating that it was carrying out a crackdown on violations of discipline and discipline during the military equipment procurement bidding process, and publicly soliciting clues on illegal procurement bidding since October 2017.
The sanctions imposed by the United States on Li Shangfu can also be traced back to his tenure as Minister of Equipment Development. The reason for the sanctions is that in 2018, the Equipment Development Department under his supervision purchased weapons from Russia.
Previously, Li Shangfu's "disappearance" has attracted the attention of diplomats from other countries and experts on Chinese issues. In September, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel raised questions about Li Shangfu's situation on social media, stating that "President Xi's cabinet team is now like Agatha Christie's novel 'And Then There Are None'. Some US officials have cited intelligence reports that Li Shangfu has been dismissed, but have not provided specific information on his intelligence.
The corruption investigation targeting high-ranking military officials may take several months before the authorities confirm the existence of such cases.
In the summer of 2017, two members of the Central Military Commission disappeared from public view. About three months later, after one of the generals, Zhang Yang, committed suicide, the Communist Party of China revealed its investigation into his corruption. It was not until early 2018 that the authorities confirmed the investigation into another general, Fang Fenghui, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery in 2019.