General Li Shangfu, named on Sunday as China's new defence minister, is a veteran of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) modernisation effort - a drive that led the United States to sanction him over the acquisition of weapons from Russia.
Although his new post within the Chinese system is viewed as largely diplomatic and ceremonial, Li's appointment is being closely watched given his background, regional diplomats say.
His tenure starts as Washington pushes to restore military dialogue and communications that soured as Beijing reacted angrily to the August visit to Taiwan by then-U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
