Top Chinese general meets Russian defence minister days after Politburo appointment

Zhang Shengmin, China’s most senior uniformed general, met Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov in Beijing on Tuesday in his first publicly reported meeting with a foreign official since he became a member of the Politburo.

Zhang, the vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), pledged to deepen military cooperation and strategic coordination with Russia during the meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

Zhang praised the “quality improvement” and “upgrading” of military ties between the two countries, saying they had “kept pace with the overall bilateral relationship”, according to the Chinese Ministry of Defence.

“We have made fruitful achievements in high-level exchanges and joint exercises and training,” he said.

He added that China was willing to work with Russia to strengthen strategic communication, enhance mutual trust in military affairs and “explore new areas of cooperation suited to the times”.

Belousov said Russia-China relations had reached an “unprecedentedly high level” under the strategic guidance of the two countries’ leaders, stressing that the partnership was vital to peace, stability and prosperity in both countries and the wider world.

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“Russia is ready to maintain close coordination with China, strengthen strategic consultations, firmly support each other and expand practical cooperation in areas including military education and scientific and technological innovation,” Belousov said, according to the Chinese defence ministry.

The two countries have maintained high-level military exchanges since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Zhang’s predecessor as CMC vice-chairman, Zhang Youxia, took part in several meetings with his Russian counterparts before being removed from his post earlier this year.

Zhang Shengmin is the only surviving member of the CMC apart from President Xi Jinping, after the ongoing anti-corruption campaign led to the downfall of Zhang Youxia and the four other members.

Zhang Shengmin served as the PLA’s anti-corruption chief from 2018 until July this year.