China's People's Congress on Sunday approved the appointment of Li Shangfu as defense minister, a figure on the US sanctions list under the CAATSA Act.
Li, 65, held the position of head of the equipment development department, led the strategic support force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army for 5 years, worked at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center for 31 years, and headed it for 10 years.
The White House imposed sanctions on Li Shangfu in 2018, and at that time he was in charge of the Weapons Directorate of the Joint Headquarters of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China.
Prime Minister
Yesterday, Saturday, the People's Congress of China approved the appointment of Li Qiang as the new prime minister during the annual meeting of the assembly, and he is one of the trusted figures most close to President Xi Jinping.
And Li Qiang (former head of the Communist Party in Shanghai) won the support of 2936 votes, against 3 votes, and 8 abstentions.
During the National People's Congress (national legislature) session that ends on Monday, Li Qiang will replace Li Keqiang, who is retiring after serving two five-year terms.
President Xi had nominated Li Qiang for the post, with responsibility for running the world's second-largest economy, as his job is traditionally linked to the day-to-day management of the country and the conduct of macroeconomic policy.
Li Qiang, 63, is a close ally of the president, and he served as director of Xi's office between 2004 and 2007, when the latter was party secretary in the eastern province of Zhejiang, a former official of the Communist Party in Shanghai, and his image was somewhat damaged in the spring during the chaotic confinement of his city.
Unlike almost all previous prime ministers, Li Qiang - who was promoted to second place in the Communist Party in October - has no experience at the central government level, but he has great experience in local government, and has held important leadership positions in Zhejiang Province (east). ) and Jiangsu (east) the two rich coasts.
On Saturday, the National People's Congress appointed the remaining members of the country's new government, now made up of close allies of the Chinese president, at the week-long annual meeting of the congress in Beijing, a major gathering of the Communist Party.
The carefully selected delegates, numbering about 3,000 people, also approved Xi's choices for the position of executive first deputy prime minister, among other government posts.