The defense minister’s disappearance is the latest case of a missing Chinese official.

The strange disappearance of Li Shangfu, China’s defense minister, under investigation for corruption, is only the most recent instance of a prominent figure in President Xi Jinping’s entourage going missing.

The fearsome Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, a watchdog under the Chinese Communist Party charged with policing officials accused of breaking party rules or state laws, frequently uses the official’s disappearance as the first telltale sign that the official is the subject of an inquiry.

The Discipline Inspection Commission of the People’s Liberation Army is the investigating body if the official is an armed forces member. According to the watchdog’s previous pronouncements, scrutinized acts include extramarital affairs, political disloyalty, and corruption.

Former Foreign Minister Qin Gang has been missing since June 25. His abduction is another recent high-profile case where disappearances have lasted weeks or even months.

Following are a few examples of recent disappearances:

LI SHANGFU, 65, DEFENCE MINISTER

According to 10 sources who spoke to Reuters, Li is being investigated for the improper purchase of military hardware. Li is considered to be China’s public face of the military.

On August 29, Li gave the keynote address at a security meeting with African countries and was last spotted in Beijing. He had been to Belarus and Russia earlier in the month. Shortly after his return from that trip, the investigation began.

According to Vietnamese officials, on September 3, his ministry canceled Li’s trip to Vietnam for the scheduled September 7-8 annual defense summit, citing health issues.

57-year-old EX-FOREIGN MINISTER QIN GANG
Until this July, when he was abruptly demoted from the position of foreign minister, Qin was a rising political star.

He had been permitted to keep his secondary title of State Councillor, which is higher than the minister but carries no real power. He was a former trusted aide to President Xi Jinping and former ambassador to the United States.

On June 25, he was last seen attending meetings in Beijing with colleagues from nations including Vietnam and Russia.

According to persons acquainted with a briefing, the Wall Street Journal claimed on Tuesday that Qin had an extramarital affair while serving as ambassador to the United States.

EX-INDUSTRY MINISTER XIAO YAQING

When he vanished from the public eye in early July of last year, the state media reported that he was under investigation for corruption. Xiao oversaw the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Xiao took center stage in his advocacy of China’s new energy vehicle industry, which is the largest in the world. In the end, he was purged from the Communist Party for accepting bribes, and in December, he lost his government position.

LI YUCHAO AND XU ZHONGBO, EX-LEADERS OF THE ROCKET FORCE
Li Yuchao, a 60-year-old military general in control of China’s conventional and nuclear missiles, is another general who has gone missing in battle.

Instead of choosing a member of the same force to lead the Rocket Force, Beijing announced a leadership change in July this year and replaced Li with a navy general.

Another new political commissar for the Rocket Force came from outside the organization. An air force general from the Southern Theatre Command replaced Xu Zhongbo.

Li Yuchao and Xu Zhongbo haven’t been publicly spotted in several months.