All news

Putin to receive vice chairman of China Central Military Commission

Colonel General Xu Qiliang is also in charge of issues of China’s military and military-technical cooperation with Russia
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of China Xu Qiliang AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of China Xu Qiliang
© AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive on Tuesday Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of China Xu Qiliang, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The Russian presidential press secretary added that the president will also meet on Tuesday governor of the Samara region Nikolay Merkushkin and head of the Vologda region Oleg Kuvshinnikov.

Previously, Xu Qiliang had met with Putin in the presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo outside Moscow in October 2013. The details of the negotiations had not been reported then.

Colonel General Xu Qiliang is also in charge of issues of China’s military and military-technical cooperation with Russia. In November 2014, he discussed these issues with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu during the Russian defence minister’s visit to Beijing. Then the Chinese Central Military Commission vice chairman said that "the strategic partnership between China and Russia has entered a new stage of development, which is gratifying." He expressed the view that the development of this partnership "reflects the common desire of our peoples and plays an important role in maintaining regional and global peace." "Sino-Russian relations have a strategic importance," Xu Qiliang said.

Xu Qiliang became vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of China in March 2013 at the age of 63 years. He was born in the eastern province of Shandong, a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) since 1967. In 2004-2007, he was Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China, and from 2007 to 2012 was commander of the Chinese Air Force. He is member of the Military Council of the CPC Central Committee since 2007.

In his new capacity Xu Qiliang has held a number of meetings with the leaders of several states, including with Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko and Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovych (both in 2013).