China’s General Liu Zhenli likely to step in for missing defence minister at security forum as US military talks resume

Veteran of Chinese-Vietnamese war expected to be face of PLA in meetings with US representatives following unexplained disappearance of minister Li Shangfu

High-level communication between US military and PLA at Beijing-organised regional security forum this month could pave way for presidential talks

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The last in-person Xiangshan Forum was held in Beijing in 2019 before being cancelled or held virtually. This year’s forum may host high-level talks between the PLA and the Pentagon, analysts say. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 10:00pm, 13 Oct 2023Updated: 10:32pm, 13 Oct 2023

General Liu Zhenli is expected to play a central role at a Beijing-organised security forum later this month as China resumes high-level military communications with the United States, according to observers and sources.

Li, the chief of staff of the People’s Liberation Army joint staff, is likely to become the face of the PLA in its meeting with US representatives at the Xiangshan Forum following the unexplained disappearance of China’s defence minister Li Shangfu.

The resumption of high-level military communication between China and the US would also pave the way for a potential meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in San Francisco, defence analysts added.

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The Chinese defence ministry last month confirmed the Xiangshan Forum, dubbed Beijing’s answer to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, was scheduled for October 29 to 31 and would be held in person for the first time since 2019.

“Beijing takes the face-to-face meeting at Xiangshan Forum very seriously, as it will be the first step in the resumption of engagement between Chinese senior generals and their US colleagues,” said Zhou Chenming, a researcher at Yuan Wang military science and technology think tank in Beijing.

“There are no more obstacles to hinder the resumption of Sino-US high-level military communications now, making the forum a timely platform for both sides to have a symbolic ceremony for their relationship restoration.”

It is not clear who will be sent by the Pentagon to attend the coming forum, but a source close to the PLA told the South China Morning Post that Beijing did not expect either Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin or the newly appointed head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Brown, to attend.