China’s new defence chief to visit Russia, marking a first since Ukraine invasion

It will be the first international trip for Li Shangfu, who was appointed defence minister and state councillor in March
Beijing and Moscow are seeking to shore up trust in the face of mounting geopolitical pressure from Washington and its allies

China-Russia relations

Jun Maiin Beijing

Published: 9:42pm, 14 Apr 2023

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China’s new defence chief will visit Russia next week, a first since the Ukraine war started, as Beijing and Moscow seek to shore up strategic trust in the face of mounting geopolitical pressure from Washington and its allies.

Invited by his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu, Defence Minister Li Shangfu will kick off the four-day visit on Sunday and hold talks with Russian military leaders. He would also visit Russian military academies, Chinese defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei, said on Friday.

Tan said relations between the two militaries were operating “at a high point”.

“New progress has been made in strategic communication, joint exercises and practical cooperation,” he said.

The visit will be the first by a Chinese defence chief since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Beijing has yet to condemn Moscow’s aggression but has said it wants peace for the two countries.

The trip will also be the first international trip for Li, who in March was appointed China’s defence minister and a state councillor – a position that ranks higher than average ministers in the State Council.

Unlike defence chiefs in most countries, China’s defence ministers are mostly responsible for international communication with other militaries.

But the fact that Li, 65, has been a target of US sanctions has caused concerns about smooth communication, especially between him and senior military officials in Washington.

In 2018, Li, then head of the PLA’s Equipment Development Department, was put on a US sanction list for allegedly facilitating the transfer of Su-35 fighter jets and S-200 air-defence missile systems to China from Russia.

Top-level defence communications between Beijing and Washington have stalled since earlier this year – even before Li took his current job.

At the height of a saga involving a Chinese balloon in February, Beijing declined a proposal by Washington for then-defence minister Wei Fenghe and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin to speak by phone. Washington claimed the balloon was used for spying and shot it down over US waters.

“Since the irresponsible and serious wrongdoing by the US did not create the necessary atmosphere for communication of the two militaries, the Chinese side did not accept the US proposal for the two ministers to talk,” Tan said in February.

US officials dodge claims Chinese balloon was able to send data to Beijing

China is facing growing suspicion from Washington and its allies for its close relations with Russia, as Western leaders repeatedly warned Beijing against providing lethal weapons to Moscow.

Beijing has insisted it has not done so and has condemned Western efforts to provide military aid to Ukraine as “fuelling” the war.

In a joint statement signed by President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during Xi’s trip to Moscow last month, the two sides pledged to regularly hold naval and air joint drills and strengthen communication and cooperation between the two militaries.