China’s defense minister has been MIA for a month. His ministry isn’t making any comment

BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese defense ministry has given its first public statement on the disappearance of the minister from public view about a month ago. A ministry spokesman has told a monthly news conference he’s “not aware of the situation”. Senior Col. Wu Qian gave only that one-sentence response when asked whether Li Shangfu is under investigation for corruption and if he is still the defense minister. Li hasn’t been seen since giving a speech on Aug. 29. He is the second senior official to disappear this year, following former Foreign Minister Qin Gang. Qin was removed from office in July.