New Chinese defence minister Dong Jun speaks with Russian counterpart
Shoigu said he looked forward to “closest and most fruitful cooperation” with Chinese partners and believed his talks with Dong would “further strengthen the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership in the field of defence,” according to Russia’s Sputnik News.
Shoigu was quoted as saying Russia and China were developing “comprehensive military cooperation” but were “not targeting any third country”.
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“Russian-Chinese military relations are developing steadily in all directions. We regularly hold joint naval, air and land combat training activities, and have successfully conducted combat exercises of different levels of complexity,” Shoigu said.
The defence chiefs both mentioned that China and Russia would celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relationship this year and hailed the “best in history” relationship under the leadership of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, the Chinese statement said.
The diplomatic ties between Beijing and Moscow started when the newly established People’s Republic of China was recognised by the Soviet Union in October 1949. In recent years, Xi and Putin have moved closer amid growing tension with the West and declared a “partnership with no limits” just before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The two militaries also have stepped up cooperation in various forms, including joint exercises and hi-tech exchanges.
But Shoigu reiterated on Wednesday that it was not a formal military alliance. “Unlike some Western countries, our two countries do not form a military bloc,” he said.
It was Dong’s first diplomatic appearance as the defence minister. The former commander of the PLA Navy was named minister on December 29 after the post was left vacant for more than two months.
His predecessor, Li Shangfu, was suddenly sacked in October without explanation, and there has yet to be an official announcement about Li’s dismissal. It was reported that a major anti-corruption campaign has been conducted within the PLA, with many senior commanders and generals put under investigation.