The strange disappearances of ministers and influential figures in China

The recent disappearances of China's foreign and defense ministers join a long list of influential figures who have gone missing in the country in recent years. Which causes one to wonder, what is going on?

Making opponents disappear is a common practice in authoritarian regimes. In the USSR, many figures critical of the regime were never seen again following massive purges.

According to 'Asialyst', an independent media specializing in Asia, several thousand people suddenly disappeared in China when the communists took power in 1949.

But this practice seems to be intensifying in recent years, as Xi Jinping continues to strengthen his personal power. The repression is officially part of a vast anti-corruption campaign.

But, as 'Slate' points out, the procedures intended to sanction corrupt officials are secret, even if the verdict is sometimes rendered in the presence of cameras from the national public channel, CCTV.

Is it just about the fight against corruption? Some observers believe this campaign is used mainly to neutralize political adversaries or personalities more reluctant to carry out the orders of central power.

But curiously, the year 2023 is also marked by the disappearance of some of Xi Jinping's allies, who occupied leading positions in the government, without any official reason being given.

Qin Gang, who had been Minister of Foreign Affairs since the beginning of the year, has completely stopped appearing in public since the end of June. Still according to 'Slate', an affair when he was stationed in the United States could be the cause of this sudden sidelining.

Another minister with an important role, the Minister of Defense, has also disappeared. Appointed in March 2023, Li Shangfu has not been seen in public since August 29.

This sort of ministerial reshuffle could be linked to conflicts with Chinese generals who did not appreciate the character, in a context of purge in the army and tensions between the high command and the civilian power.

In the absence of transparent information, speculation abounds about the real reasons behind the elimination of certain high-ranking state figures. But the previous years had already seen their share of sudden disappearances, including outside circles of power.

@Camillo Corsetti Antonini / Unsplash

One of the most famous cases is that of Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba and the richest man in the country, who dared to publicly criticize the functioning of the Chinese financial system in 2020. After disappearing for several months, Ma was forced to publicly apologize and take an early retirement.

At the same time, in December 2020, Haze Fan, a Chinese employee of the American news agency Bloomberg, was arrested at her home for endangering national security. The agency itself announced her release on bail in June 2022.

@Zhou Xian / Unsplash

Former vice minister of public security and head of Interpol since 2016, Meng Hongwei disappeared in October 2018 before reappearing the following year. He has since been convicted of corruption and his wife Grace has received political asylum in France, where she lives under police protection.

Another wife persecuted by Beijing: Whitney Weihong, the wife of Desmond Shum, the author of a book fiercely criticizing the Chinese regime. Weihong disappeared for several years, she only re-appeared in 2021 to beg her ex-husband not to publish the book. After the latter's refusal, she disappeared again.

@shark ovski / Unsplash

Peng Shuai's case was highly publicized given her status as a high-level international sportswoman. Having accused the former Chinese Prime Minister of having abused her, the tennis player disappeared in November 2021. Reappearing three months later, she denied the facts, withdrew her accusations and ended her professional career.

At the end of January 2020, Fang Bin sounded the alert on the extent of the damage caused by the Covid-19 epidemic in China. Disappearing immediately afterwards, he was released in May 2023 after being convicted of “spreading false news”, according to 'Le Figaro'.

Actress Fan Bingbing was at the height of her international fame when she disappeared in 2018. The cause: income hidden from the tax authorities. Reappearing after a few months, she apologized, but her film career took a hit.

Another actress absent overnight from the public eye: Zhao Wei. In August 2021, her name was even deleted from all Chinese search engines, her social media accounts deleted and her films made inaccessible. According to 'The Hollywood Reporter', the actress and her husband are very close to Jack Ma, who himself fell from grace.

A Chinese dissident known for his outspokenness, the artist and intellectual Ai Weiwei was arrested in Beijing and held in solitary confinement for 81 days in 2011. He then took refuge in Europe, from where he was able to describe in detail his conditions of detention…

Note that the forced disappearances of Chinese citizens does not only affect the population present in China: the diaspora is also targeted. “No one is safe,” as Carlotta Rinaudo, China specialist at the International Team for the Study of Security (ITSS) in Verona, Italy, summarizes for 'France 24'.

@Christian Lue / Unsplash

These disappearances occur in a context more difficult than ever for China, which is struggling to recover from the economic consequences of the pandemic. Will other figures in Chinese society soon leave the public scene without warning?

@Javier Quiroga / Unsplash