Speculation and concerns have arisen over the whereabouts and status of Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Li Shangfu, who was notably absent from a meeting of the Central Military Commission (CMC). Gen. Li, a close associate of President Xi Jinping, has not been seen in public since early September and missed meetings with senior Vietnamese defense officials. This absence marks the second high-ranking Minister and Communist Party of China (CPC) official to go missing since July. While there is no official explanation for his absence, it follows a series of leadership changes and replacements within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Gen. Li’s last position before becoming Defence Minister was heading the PLA Rocket Force, and he faced US sanctions in 2018 for arms procurement from Russia.