Russian Defense Minister

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who is visiting China, on Wednesday had a meeting with the Vice-Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, Gen Xu Qiliang, in the course of which he proposed to have a detailed discussion about the situation in Syria, Iraq and Libya, as well as about the prospects for a bilateral cooperation in the military sphere and in defense-related technologies.  Shoigu also met his Chinese counterpart, Chang Wanquan. During the meeting between the two Ministers, Shoigu affirmed that Military cooperation between Russia and China contributes to bring peace and stability on the Eurasian continent and beyond. China has been an active buyer of Russian defense technology. Just this month, Russia announced the delivery of S-400 defense systems to China by 2020. Beijing has also become the first state in the world authorized to buy the one of a kind system. According to media reports, the transaction amounted to around $3 billion. According to some experts, with relations between Moscow and the West deteriorating over the past two years, due to the Ukraine crisis and the following sanctions, Russia has seemed content to increase cooperation with its Chinese neighbor, and the entire region has profited from it.