China’s new Defense Minister: China on Sunday appointed Li Shangfu, a US-sanctioned General, as its new Defence Minister. It is noted that Li has been sanctioned by the US since 2018, and his appointment comes at a time when relations between Beijing and Washington are becoming increasingly strained, according to CNN.

Li Shangfu, an aerospace expert, was unanimously elected to replace outgoing defence commander Wei Fenghe by the country’s rubber-stamp parliament, the National People’s Congress (China’s new Defense Minister). According to CNN, Li was sanctioned by former US President Donald Trump’s government in 2018 for purchasing Russian weapons, including ten Su-35 combat aircraft and components connected to the S-400 surface-to-air missile system.

Given Li’s experience, experts say the selection will be widely monitored in Washington, even though the position is mostly diplomatic and ceremonial.

Li was assigned deputy commander of the PLA’s then-new Strategic Support Force in 2016, an elite force tasked with boosting China’s space and cyber warfare capabilities development.

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He was then named chairman of the Central Military Commission’s (CMC) Equipment Development Department, China’s leading defence body led by President Xi.

His nomination was one of several confirmed by China’s National People’s Congress on Sunday. CNN stated that four new vice premiers were appointed, including Ding Xuexiang, He Lifeng, Zhang Guoqing, and Liu Guozhong.

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With Li Qiang’s appointment, all four will serve as deputy premiers on the State Council, the group in charge of restoring China’s economy after three years of tight zero-Covid restrictions.

The latest appointment is part of Xi Jinping’s significant cabinet restructuring following his formal election to an unprecedented third term as president.

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