中国国防部长李尚福已经有三个星期没有公开露面。据英国媒体报道，李尚福没有出席 9月7日至8日在中越边境主办的防务合作年度会议。美国政府也认为李尚福正在接受调查，而且已经被解除职权。

这是今年6月以来，继中国前外交部长秦刚之后，第二个在公众视线中突然消失的中国高层官员，而且至今中国官方对他们的突然消失都没有说明原因。

李尚福去哪儿了？他真的出事了吗？如果他出事，对中国军队的战斗力又会造成什么影响?

这期的早报播客《东谈西论》，听主持人韩咏红和《联合早报》北京记者于泽远详细解析。

延伸阅读：

• 中国防长李尚福逾两周未露面 据报因健康原因推迟与越官员会晤
• 韩咏红：秦刚被免职留下未解疑团

China’s Defence Minister Li Shangfu has not been seen for three weeks. While it is not unusual for the defence minister to be away from the public eye, his notable absence, especially after the recent disappearance of former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, sparked speculation that Li is under house arrest.

According to media reports, the US government believes that Li has been placed under investigation and removed from office. The probe into Li follows China's unexplained replacement of Qin in July after a prolonged absence from public view.  

Chinese officials have remained tight-lipped about the reasons behind Li’s disappearance. Where is Li Shangfu? Why is he missing? What is the impact on China’s military?

In this episode of Global Heartbeat podcast, Lianhe Zaobao’s Beijing journalist Yu Zeyuan shares his insights with host Han Yong Hong. 

Hosted by Lianhe Zaobao’s Associate Editor, Han Yong Hong, Global Heartbeat is a Mandarin weekly news and current affairs podcast that is updated every Tuesday, 7.00 PM SGT. It is available on zaobao.sg, Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast platforms.

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