Beijing (ANTARA) – The President of Russia received a visit of the Defense Minister of China Li Shangfu in Moscow, Sunday (April 16).Li, who concurrently serves as a member of the Government Council of China, embarked on a four-day visit to Russia starting from Sunday until Wednesday (April 19). The Chinese minister made the visit at the invitation of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, spokesperson of China’s National Defense Ministry Senior Colonel Tan Kefei told the press in Beijing, Sunday. During his visit, the minister will hold a discussion with Russian elite military ranks and also pay a visit to the Russian academy of military. The two countries’ relations in the military field is being well-maintained under the strategic leaderships of both countries, including joint military drills and pragmatic cooperation, Tan stated. The visit of both countries’ top military leaders was held amid growing tensions between the armed forces of China and the US following an incident wherein a Chinese spy balloon was caught flying over the US airspace recently. Moreover, the visit was conducted while Li was still subject to US sanctions that were imposed prior to his term as Chinese defense minister. During President Donald Trump’s administration, the US imposed sanctions on Li, who was then in charge of supervising the Equipment Development Department at China’s Central Military Commission chaired by President Xi Jinping. Trump’s administration decided to impose sanctions on Li following his purchase of Russian military equipment, especially Su-35 fighter jet and surface-to-air missile system S-400 in 2018.

Source: Antara News Agency