Absence of China's top general He Weidong from Politburo study session fuels speculation
China's top general
He Weidong missed another top political gathering on Friday amid speculation about his whereabouts over the past few weeks.
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Beijing has not offered an official explanation for his absence, although his absence is not expected to affect China's political stability, according to an analyst.
He, the second-ranked vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) and one of the 24-member of the Communist Party Politburo, last appeared in public on March 11.
He was absent from a Politburo study session presided over by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, according to footage made public by state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday. It showed that Zhang Youxia, the first vice-president of the CMC, was present at the regular gathering of the party's inner circle, but He was not visible.
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He has also been missing in recent weeks from a series of key events at which top CMC leaders would generally be present, according to information and footage made public by state media.
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