Rumours swirl after China’s defence minister, Li Shangfu, is sacked
The government is trickling out news of a political bombshell
Among the biggest cyber-threats to China, said the country’s spy chief, Chen Yixin, last month, is online rumour. As he put it: “A small incident can turn into a maelstrom of public opinion.” Yet the Communist Party’s penchant for secrecy keeps the rumour mill whirring. After weeks of speculation that he was in political trouble, the government announced on October 24th that the defence minister, Li Shangfu, had been dismissed. It gave no reason but, as many netizens correctly surmised, this was far from routine.
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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Marching orders for the general”
From the October 28th 2023 edition
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