China’s Defense Minister Appoints General Lee as US-Approved Representative

Beijing, March 12 – The National People’s Congress (NPC), the People’s Republic of China’s highest legislative body, has approved the appointment of 65-year-old General Li Shangfu, who is under US sanctions for military cooperation with Russia, as defense minister.

The vote took place Sunday during the Fifth Plenary Session of the 14th National People’s Congress in the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.

In 2018, the US Treasury Department sanctioned the Training and Supply Department of the Chinese Central Military Council and Li Shangfu, who headed it at the time, for military cooperation with Russia. This fact, according to observers, could make contacts between the United States and China in the military field somewhat awkward.