The newly-appointed defense chief comes to Russia to emphasize the “strategic importance” of Moscow-Beijing ties
President Vladimir Putin has personally greeted China's State Councilor and Defense Minister Li Shangfu at the Kremlin on Sunday, alongside his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu. The defense chief, who happens to be under Russia-linked US sanctions, arrived in Moscow for a three-day visit – the first foreign trip since his appointment last month.
According to the transcript of the meeting shared by the Kremlin, Putin noted the “active” and comprehensive cooperation between Moscow and Beijing in the defense sphere, including constant exchanges of “useful information,” military-technical cooperation, and joint military exercises in various domains.
“Undoubtedly, this is another crucial area that strengthens the extremely trusting, strategic nature of our relations,” in addition to economic, social, cultural, educational and other spheres, Putin said.
Li’s tightly-packed trip comes just weeks after Chinese leader Xi Jinping was in Moscow on his first state visit since re-election, where he and Putin vowed to “further deepen mutual military trust” and signed a joint statement declaring that the friendship between the two nations has “no limits.”
