China’s new defence minister is a general sanctioned by the US

• China appointed a US-approved general as its new defence minister on Sunday.
• The country’s rubber-stamp legislature unanimously confirmed the appointment of General Li Shangfu.
• His appointment was one of several confirmed by China’s National People’s Congress.

China appointed a US-approved general as its new defence minister on Sunday.

During a session on Sunday, the country’s rubber-stamp legislature unanimously confirmed the appointment of General Li Shangfu, a veteran of the People’s Liberation Army’s modernization drive.

Given Li’s background, experts say the appointment will be closely watched in Washington, even though the position is largely diplomatic and ceremonial.

Former US President Donald Trump’s administration sanctioned Li and China’s Equipment Development Department, which he was in charge of at the time, for purchasing Russian weapons, including a Su-35 combat aircraft and an S-400 surface-to-air missile system, in 2018.

His appointment was one of several confirmed by China’s National People’s Congress on Sunday. Four new vice premiers were also appointed: Ding Xuexiang, He Lifeng, Zhang Guoqing, and Liu Guozhong.

Following Li Qiang’s nomination, all four will serve as vice premiers on the State Council, the body in charge of reviving China’s economy after three years of strict zero-Covid restrictions.

The appointment of Li Shangfu as defence minister comes at a time when relations between Beijing and Washington are becoming increasingly strained.

According to defence experts, his appointment was most likely a reward for his work in modernising China’s military.

Li was named deputy commander of the PLA’s then-new Strategic Support Force in 2016, an elite body tasked with accelerating China’s space and cyber warfare capabilities development. According to Reuters, he was then appointed head of the Central Military Commission’s (CMC), China’s governing defence body, which is led by the country’s leader, Xi Jinping.

Defense experts believe Li’s background as a technocrat and aerospace engineer who worked on China’s satellite programme will be important in his new role.

“The operational and technological background of the next Chinese defense minister is especially pertinent given that the PLA aims to become a world-class military by 2049,” James Char from Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

“I think he has been elevated to this position because he’s delivered for Xi Jinping in key areas of modernisation,” Singapore-based security analyst Alexander Neill from Hawaii’s Pacific Forum think-tank told Reuters.

“This is someone who will have to hold their own in front of an international audience.”

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