Russia and China show solidarity as Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu heads to Moscow
- Putin’s high-profile welcome of Li is not without precedent but it is unusual
- Meetings show the bonds between the two countries have not been affected by the war in Ukraine, analysts say
Although not unprecedented, it is rare for a visiting Chinese defence chief to be greeted in Moscow by Putin.
During the talks with the Russian president, Li said China was willing to work with Russia to “further enhance strategic communication between the two militaries, strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, and make new contributions to maintaining world and regional security and stability”, according to a Chinese statement on Monday.
He also said military and political ties between the two countries “outperformed” Cold War-era unions, and rested on the principles of non-alignment, according to the Kremlin.
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Putin meets China’s new defence chief in Moscow, hails military cooperation
“This is my first overseas visit since taking over as minister of defence of the People’s Republic of China. I specifically chose Russia for this in order to emphasise the special character and strategic importance of our bilateral relations,” Russian authorities quoted Li as saying.
The Kremlin also said Putin praised cooperation between the two armed forces, saying they regularly exchanged information, cooperated on the military-technology front, as well as conducted joint exercises in the Far East region and in Europe.
The meeting marked the start of Li’s four-day visit to Russia – a first by a Chinese defence chief since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine last year.
It is also Li’s first abroad since he became China’s defence minister and a state councillor in March, a gesture that showed “the strategic importance of our bilateral relations”, the Kremlin quoted him as saying.
Li arrived in Moscow as the Russian Pacific Fleet was in the middle of a massive naval drill which involved sealing off parts of the Sea of Japan.
Shoigu had said that part of the exercise would focus on responding to a possible attack on a handful of Russian-controlled islands in the area, islands that are also claimed by Japan.
Shoigu attended Sunday’s meeting and is expected to meet Li again during his trip.
While there was no mention of Ukraine in the statements after Sunday’s meeting, Chinese analysts said the exchanges showed that Russia-China military ties were not affected by the war.
Yang Jin, a Russian affairs specialist at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said there was a tradition of new Chinese defence ministers choosing Russia as their first overseas stop and this trip showed that Sino-Russian relations were “solid and unaffected by changes in the international environment”.
Yang said the cooperation was helpful to maintain global stability and needed because of the situation “not only in Europe, but also in the Asia-Pacific region”.
“Some countries are forging military blocs that pose a threat to security in the region, and even over the Taiwan issue, some countries are repeatedly stirring up trouble,” he said.
But Fu Qianshao, a retired PLA Air Force equipment specialist, said the improved military ties and frequent military exchanges between China and Russia could not be taken as proof of a change of China’s position on Ukraine.
Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said China would not sell weapons to either side in the war in Ukraine, responding to Western concerns that Beijing could provide military help to Russia.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
