China this Sunday appointed Li Shangfu, a US-sanctioned general, as defense minister, a move that perfectly reflects the tumultuous state of relations between Beijing and Washington with the shadow of Moscow in the background. Li, 65 and with a long military career linked to the Asian giant’s aerospace program, was blacklisted by the US in 2018 for his responsibility in purchasing fighter jets and security systems while he was heading the weapons division. Anti-aircraft grenades made in Russia.
The appointment comes at a time when diplomatic channels between China and the United States are going through a critical period of lack of communication and distrust due to tensions over Taiwan and Washington’s recent downing of a Chinese balloon crossing US territory Permission. .
Li’s election has received approval from the National People’s Congress (China’s legislature) on a day that has completed the renewal of key positions in the new government, after Xi Jinping was sworn in for a third term as president on Friday. and that Li Qiang, one of the president’s confidants and number two in the Communist Party, was appointed prime minister on Saturday. The parliament session ends on Monday with a speech by the head of state and an appearance by the prime minister in front of the media.
Li Shangfu’s appointment “was to be expected, it’s no coincidence,” explains Dr. Lin Ying-Yu, assistant professor at Tamkang University (Taiwan) who specializes in Chinese army capabilities. “But keep in mind that the PRC defense minister basically has no real power. It is the Central Military Commission [máximo órgano castrense, cuya presidencia ha revalidado Xi Jinping esta semana] the one who can command the People’s Liberation Army”.
The sanctions against the new defense secretary stem from a bygone era, but one in which the dark clouds of today were already gathering. They were imposed by Donald Trump’s administration along with a series of measures against Russian companies to “impose costs” on Moscow “in response to its interference in the United States electoral process, its unacceptable conduct in eastern Ukraine, and other malicious activities.” according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time.
Beijing this week expressed a strong line of defense against mounting US pressure in areas ranging from trade sanctions to the blockade on advanced microchips. President Xi – reluctant to point the finger – on Monday denounced Washington’s strategy aimed at stemming China’s rise. “Western countries, led by the United States, are conducting an all-out containment and suppression of China, posing unprecedented challenges for our development,” he said. New Foreign Minister Qin Gang added on Tuesday that if the US “doesn’t step on the brakes”, there is a risk of “conflict”.
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Among the changes approved this Sunday, Ding Xuexiang, 60, stands out as the senior vice prime minister. Ding, a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo, the Communist Party’s highest organ of power, served as Xi’s chief of staff during his tenure as party secretary in Shanghai and is “one of his staunchest confidants,” according to an institute. Biography Brookings, based in Washington.
He Lifeng, 68, previously at the head of the National Development and Reform Commission – the body responsible for planning – will become the new deputy prime minister in charge of the economy of a country trying to restore confidence after the pandemic and sees the Faces potentially disruptive geopolitical turmoil with moderate optimism: Last week’s government forecast expects growth of around 5% in 2023. Yi Gang, 65, will serve as governor of the People’s Bank of China (central bank) alongside Finance Minister Liu Kun , 66, repeat a gesture with which Beijing seems to want to send a signal of stability and credibility.
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