China appoints US-sanctioned General as Defence Min

Beijing: China on Sunday appointed a US-sanctioned army general as its new Defence Minister, displaying scant regard for Washington’s ban on its military personnel. Gen. Li Shangfu, a Chinese aerospace engineer and General of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), was sanctioned by the US in 2018 for the purchase of Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 surface-to-air missiles by China’s Equipment Development Department (EDD) in violation of the US sanctions on Russia.The US sanctioned both the EDD and its then director Gen Li.

Li was confirmed as new DM on Sunday.