A veteran of China’s military modernization campaign, General Li Shangfu, ascended through the ranks to become defence minister this year. He vanished six months later while a corruption investigation was ongoing. During President Xi Jinping’s ten years in office, Li rose to prominence as China’s relations with the United States deteriorated over problems such as Taiwan, the island with democratically elected leaders that Beijing claims. However, Xi’s efforts to strengthen his military have included eradicating corruption, which has long plagued China’s military and other state organisations. Li, 65, was promoted to defence minister in March after serving as China’s chief...