Intense speculation has been fueled in recent months by the disappearances of several high-ranking Chinese officials over whether Xi Jinping has begun liquidationsespecially those connected to the military.

The latest person who seems to have fallen out of favor with the Chinese president is Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who has not been seen in public for several weeks.

While his absence was not initially considered an unusual occurrence, the issue began to gain attention when a top US diplomat pointed it out.

A Reuters report later said that General Lee, who oversaw arms procurement for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), was under investigation for purchases of military equipment.

His “disappearance” comes weeks after being removed two top officials in the military arm that controls nuclear missiles and a military court judge.

New rumors are now circulating that some officials in the central military committee of the KKK, which controls the armed forces, are also being investigated.

Little to no official explanation has been given for these moves, other than references to “health reasons”. Due to the information gap there are many guesses.

The main theory is that the authorities are fighting corruption in the PLA.

The military is on high alert, issuing an unusual appeal in July asking the public for information on corruption over the past five years. Xi Jinping has also begun a new round of inspections, criss-crossing the country to pay five visits to military bases since April, according to BBC Monitoring.

Corruption has long been a problem in the military, especially since China began to liberalize its economy in the 1970snoted James Char, a researcher at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University who studies the relationship between the CCP and the military.

Every year China spends more than one trillion yuan on the military, while some negotiate arms deals, which for national security reasons cannot be fully disclosed. This lack of transparency is further exacerbated by China’s one-party central system.

Unlike the public scrutiny that other countries’ militaries are subject to, China’s armed forces are overseen solely by the CCP, Dr. Char pointed out.

Here are some cases of recent disappearances:

Qin Gang, 57, former foreign minister

Chin was a political rising star until Julywhen he was stripped of the title of foreign minister without explanation.

A former trusted aide to President Xi Jinping and a former envoy to the United States, he was allowed to retain the title of State Counselor, a post that rises above ministerial rank but carries no real power in its own right.

He was last seen on June 25 holding meetings in Beijing with counterparts from countries including Russia and Vietnam.

Chin had an extramarital affair while he was ambassador to the United States, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Xiao Yiqing, former Minister of Industry

Xiao, who headed the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, disappeared from public life in early July of last year and about three weeks later, state media reported that he was being investigated for corruption.

Xiao was particularly instrumental in promoting China’s new energy vehicle industry, the world’s largest. He was eventually expelled from the Communist Party for bribery and relieved of his government duties in December.

Li Yuchao and Su Yongbo, former head of the Missile Force

Another missing general is Li Yuchao, 60, who was put in charge of China’s conventional and nuclear missiles in January last year.

In July this year, Beijing announced a leadership change at the Rocket Force and replaced Li with a navy general, bypassing the usual practice of choosing someone from the same command to lead.

Rocket Force also got a new civilian commissioner, someone from another command. Li Yuchao was replaced by an Air Force general from the Southern Theater Command.

Neither Li Yuchao nor Su Yongbo have been seen in public for months.