In July, Li Shangfu, China’s defence minister, said that China “will not tolerate” attempts to separate Taiwan from China.
He also declined to meet his US counterpart Lloyd Austin at the Shangri-La dialogue, an Asian defence summit hosted in Singapore.
It is not uncommon for prominent figures in China to suddenly vanish from the public eye, only to reemerge later without clear explanations. Even President Xi himself once disappeared for a fortnight shortly before taking the top job as leader in 2012.
"As Chinese Foreign Minister, he needs to appear frequently on the international stage, especially at a time when China's diplomatic schedule is extremely full," Deng Yuwen, a former editor for a Communist Party newspaper who is now a current affairs commentator in the US, told DW.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for unity and stability within the military !!!
And is that a reason ? During an inspection in the northeast ... the 'missing defence minister' was last seen and heard of on Aug 28th....... time to raise eyebrows !! And not without good reasons !!
Indian sickularism is for another --- shock - on the nose !!
Only a few days back, one virtuous crown prince had good words to talk about China ? Modi-bashers may feel the hit --- on their conscious !!
(Coinciding with Li Shangfu's disappearance, there is an ongoing corruption probe related to hardware procurement that occurred over five years ago, reports say.
Initiated in July, this investigation primarily focuses on issues such as the leakage of information about projects and army units, as well as allegations of favoritism shown to certain companies in securing bids.
There have been no indications that Li Shangfu is suspected of any wrongdoing connected to this ongoing corruption probe, despite his previous role heading the equipment department from September 2017 to 2022.)
There came a tweet from US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, wherein he wrote -
"President Xi’s cabinet lineup is now resembling Agatha Christie’s novel And Then There Were None... First, Foreign Minister Qin Gang goes missing, then the Rocket Force commanders go missing, and now Defense Minister Li Shangfu hasn’t been seen in public for two weeks. Who’s going to win this unemployment race? China’s youth or Xi’s cabinet?”
Hence, .... certainly a major challenge for Beijing if not some serious crises.
One Chinese version being circulated is that the defence Minister is under investigation for corruption and 'serious discipline violations'. He is said to have visited Russia and held talks at the top level for supply of arms to Moscow for the war in Ukraine.
Leadership changes in China, including the demotion of key officials, have further fueled speculation about Li Shangfu's current status. Chinese President Xi Jinping has also taken proactive steps within the Chinese military, which have led to the removal of notable figures such as Qin Gang, and commanders Li Yuchao, and Xu Zhongbo. This is also widely seen as Xi's military consolidation amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
How checkmating China has become important and how it is being done?
The announcement of a Comprehensive rail and shipping connectivity network linking the US, India, Saudi Arabia and Gulf and Arab states and European Union was a critical takeaway.
This is critical from the China angle too. This ambitious project is seen as a conceptual rival to China’s New Silk Road, the "increasingly discredited belt and road initiative (BRI)".
"Biden has used successive summits to try to rebrand a clunky western alternative to Belt and Road, and this seems the most persuasive so far," says an article by Patrick Wintour in 'The Guardian'.
Officials in the countries involved, including Israel and Saudi Arabia, are now expected within eight weeks to come up with a timeline for the projects – linking energy grids, laying undersea and overland cables, and providing more digital connections.
Von der Leyen, European Commission President, described it as “much more than just a railway or a cable”. “It is a green and digital bridge across continents and civilisations,” she said.
It's simple in some ways. The Belt and Road project of China stretches across Asia, Africa and Latin America and has given China sizable influence over countries that have struggling economies.Now this new initiative will provide a counterbalance to China’s vast infrastructure corridor.
The scope of the India, Middle East, Europe corridor could “reshape the discourse around development and infrastructure assistance, taking the fight to Beijing on the international stage”.
PM Modi has already proposed a virtual G20 summit under his chairmanship in two months or by the year's end. This could be another turning point.
In terms of a diluted stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it is believed Joe Biden also understands the need for his changed priorities.In the context of ensuing elections in his country, Biden's foreign policy priorities should now get more focused towards 'containing China' in the Indo-Pacific.
Ukraine may be allowed to perceptibly slip down the lane a bit.
However, after the Summit as he flew to Hanoi in Vietnam, Biden said, "I do not want to contain China".
It goes without stating that the American relationship with the Chinese has been strained by several issues including the U.S. shooting down a Chinese spy balloon, Taiwan, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and
trade.
On the other hand, Beijing looks at the US activities in the region with a caustic understanding. China's popular website and magazine 'Global Times' says, "Washington is eager to transform the G20 into a "battlefield" for competing with China for influence and boosting US global leadership".
India is in between but as a democracy, there are a very few options. As of now New Delhi stands to gain immensely by its enhanced and elevated bilateral relationship. In fact, the US is not alone.
Even other western countries are keen to woo India at this juncture. And as far as the Delhi Declaration drafting, even Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has lauded New Delhi.
"Speaking frankly we didn't expect that (Declaration). We were ready to defend our wording of the text. The Global South is no longer willing to be lectured," Lavrov said.
But New Delhi in these moments of excitement and merry making should not miss a vital point that compared to India, the Chinese economy is four times vast and even more robust notwithstanding the real estate bubble burst.
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