Zhang Shengmin, vice chair of China's Central Military Commission, told Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov in Beijing on November 3 that Beijing wants to work with Moscow to bolster strategic communication and mutual trust in the military field, according to the Chinese Defence Ministry.
The ministry said the encounter was the first publicly known meeting Zhang has had with a minister from another country since his promotion to the ruling Communist Party's Politburo the week before. Zhang and Chinese President Xi Jinping are the only two active members of the supreme military command, after five of the seven members appointed in a 2022 reshuffle were purged in China's anti-corruption drive, according to the report.
The ministry cited Zhang as saying Chinese and Russian relations had entered "a new stage of greater achievement and faster development", playing a constructive role in upholding global strategic stability and improving global governance. Zhang said Beijing was willing to explore more highlights of cooperation with Moscow and to better safeguard the sovereignty, security and development interests of the two countries, as well as maintain international and regional peace and stability.
In September, Zhang held meetings with defence ministers from Vietnam and Indonesia on the sidelines of a regional defence forum in Beijing, the report said.
