By Greg Torode and Laurie Chen BEIJING (Reuters) - General Li Shangfu, a veteran of China's military modernisation drive, rose through the ranks to ...
By Greg Torode and Laurie Chen BEIJING - General Li Shangfu, a veteran of China's military modernisation drive, rose through the ranks to become defence minister this year. Within six monthsLee's impacts to be felt as the storm tracks into Atlantic Canada this weekend | SaltWireBEIJING - General Li Shangfu, a veteran of China's military modernisation drive, rose through the ranks to become defence minister this year.
A leader China's space and cyber warfare development and then head of military procurement, Li, 65, was elevated to defence minister in March. While his post as defence minister is viewed as largely diplomatic and ceremonial, Li is one of China's five state councillors, a cabinet position that outranks other ministers.
Beijing in June declined a U.S. request for a meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a high-profile annual security forum in Singapore. Their encounter ended with a handshake. Li was last seen in Beijing on Aug. 29 delivering a keynote address at a security forum with African nations.Li's history as a technocrat - he is an aerospace engineer who worked on China's satellite programme - was helpful in trying to meet Xi's goals for the People's Liberation Army , experts say.
He was then appointed head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission. Li was sanctioned over the purchase of 10 Russian Su-35 combat aircraft in 2017 and equipment related to the S-400 surface-to-air missile system.