HONG KONG, October 24. /TASS/. Beijing’s decision to dismiss Defense Minister Li Shangfu, blacklisted by the US over Russian weapons purchases, came days before a Pentagon delegation’s visit to China.

According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post newspaper, the move will pave the way for resuming contact between the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the US Department of Defense. The US military delegation is expected to attend the Xiangshan security forum in Beijing, which is usually chaired by the Chinese defense minister. The paper says that Li’s dismissal opens the way for dialogue between the two countries’ military agencies, which has been stalled for a while.

The tenth Xiangshan security forum, set to be held in the Chinese capital on October 29-31, is expected to bring together over 90 countries and international organizations.

Dialogue between the defense ministries of China and the US almost came to a standstill in March after Li Shangfu had been appointed as China’s defense chief. Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that Beijing had made it clear that no military contact was possible until Washington lifted sanctions on Li.

Earlier, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China decided to dismiss Li Shangfu as State Council member and defense minister.

The South China Morning Post quoted sources as saying that Liu Zhenli, chief of the Joint Staff of China's Central Military Council, could be appointed defense minister.