The 14th National People's Congress of China approved General Li Shangfu as the next defense minister on Sunday, irrespective of being under the United States sanctions over military cooperation with Russia.
Li, who is replacing Wei Fenghe, was sanctioned by the US government in 2018 for transactions that involved Russia transferring Su-35 combat aircraft and S-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment to China.
The move comes amid strained relations between Washington and Beijing, most recently over a surveillance balloon incident, the Taiwan crisis, and alleged Chinese contemplation to provide Moscow with weapons.
