China’s Defense Minister Li meets with Russian President Putin and Defense Minister Shoigu

Asia-Pacific, Europe, News April 19, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

During his recent visit to Moscow, China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu held meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu. The meeting comes less than a month after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to Moscow.

During these meetings in the Kremlin, Li Shangfu and Vladimir Putin hailed their country’s military ties. Li is on his first overseas trip since taking office last month. His trip to Moscow comes at are significant time as the Western leaders are towards China to resolve ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

“This is my first overseas visit since taking over as China’s defense minister. I specifically chose Russia for this in order to emphasize the special nature and strategic importance of our bilateral ties,” Li said during his meeting with the Russian President. Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was also present at the table during the meeting.

According to the statement released by China’s Ministry of Defense, during his meeting with the Russian president, Li said that China is willing to work with Russia to “further strengthen strategic communication between the two militaries.”

Li’s meeting with the Russian president came as a surprise to many observers, as Beijing had announced Li’s visit to Moscow last week, saying he would meet defense officials, but made no mention of a meeting with Putin.

“We are working actively through our military departments, regularly exchange useful information, work together in the field of military-technical cooperation, and hold joint exercises,” Putin said during the meeting. “Undoubtedly, this is another crucial area that strengthens the extremely trusting, strategic nature of our relations,” he added.

The Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also held a one-on-one meeting with his Chinese counterpart. He said that “The coordination of our efforts in the international arena has a stabilizing effect on the situation in the world, and helps to reduce the potential for conflict.”

*^{Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu attend a meeting in Moscow, Russia, on April 18, 2023. (Image Credit: Russian Defence Ministry/via Reuters)}*

Russia’s Shoigu also congratulated Li on his appointment as defense minister. Shoigu said that the newly appointed Chinese Defense Minister Li’s experience would contribute to the development of the Chinese military and the expansion of military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.

Li is a senior military general from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and a veteran of China’s military modernization drive. He is also a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, which controls the military in practice.

Before taking responsibility as the country’s defense minister, he led PLA’s Equipment Development Department. He was the figurehead of China’s weapons transactions with Russia. Li was sanctioned by the United States in 2018 for carrying out transactions with Russia’s state-controlled arms exporter Rosoboronexport.

The most prominent transactions under Li included Russia’s delivery to China of Su-35 combat aircraft in 2017 and S-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment in 2018.