China on Wednesday refused to explain why defense minister Li Shangfu was removed from office, a day after he was fired following weeks out of the public eye.

In a major reshuffle of top leadership, Beijing announced on Tuesday that Li and ousted ex-foreign minister Qin Gang had been removed from the cabinet.

No explanation was given for their removal from office.

When asked about the firings on Wednesday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told journalists she did not have "any other information to provide".

Mao instead referred media to state news agency Xinhua, which also provided no information about their removal from office.

"If you're concerned about whether China is transparent, what I can say is that we release information on all appointments and removals of personnel in a timely manner," she said.

Both Qin and Li are believed by experts to have been personally selected for their roles by President Xi Jinping.