The news
China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu said on Tuesday that Beijing is determined to deepen its “defense cooperation” with Iran and Belarus – both Russian allies who play a vital role in supporting the Kremlin’s efforts in Ukraine.
The remarks were made at the Moscow conference on international security, which took place shortly after Semafor reported that Tehran is preparing to build a drone production facility in Belarus – a move that would significantly undermine Russia’s ability to attack Ukraine. can increase.
Knowing more
China is aggressively trying to expand its military partnerships globally to compete with the US, and much of this focus is on Asia, Eurasia and the Far Pacific.
The China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization, of which Iran recently joined, is one of Beijing’s main means of expanding its reach. In his speech, Li described Belarus as a “soon to be member” of the bloc.
“We are committed to advancing peace talks and great international consensus to resolve disputes,” Li said, “be it the Afghan issue, the Syrian issue… the Ukraine crisis or the Iranian nuclear issue. “
Beijing’s defense chief also took the opportunity to claim that Taiwan was considered “China’s territory”, and that any attempt by foreign actors to use the island to “control China” would fail.
