A State Department spokesman directly contradicted President Joe Biden on Monday regarding sanctions on China’s Minister of Defense.
Biden said over the weekend during his G-7 press conference that lifting sanctions on Gen. Li Shangfu, the Chinese Communist Party’s Defense Minister, is “under negotiation” ahead of potential meetings with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. However, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller suggested Monday during his first press briefing that that isn’t the case.
Here’s POTUS responding to a question about whether he will lift sanctions on the PRC’s defense minister, Gen. Li Shangfu. From the transcript of his G7 presser: “That’s under negotiation right now.” pic.twitter.com/s839ZBYgH4
— Jimmy Quinn (@james_t_quinn) May 21, 2023
“No, we are not … I’ll leave it at that,” Miller said when one reporter asked if the State Department is considering lifting sanctions on Li.
The reporter then pointed out Biden’s comments and asked if the president has a different view. “Very much not so. He also made clear that we are not planning to lift any sanctions on him, or on China more broadly,” Miller said. He then answered no once more on lifting sanctions for Li specifically.
Reporter: Is the State Dept considering lifting sanctions on China’s Defense Minister?
Spokesman: No
Reprtr: President Biden said this weekend it’s under negotiation, does he have a different view?
Spox: No
Reporter: So are you considering lifting them?
Spox: No@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/gXACKFr7j7
— Dylan Housman (@Dylan_Housman) May 22, 2023
Li became Defense Minister in March after serving in various high-level military roles within the CCP as an aerospace engineer and general. He was sanctioned in 2018 by the Trump administration while serving as the Director of the People’s Liberation Army’s Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, which oversees military technology.
The sanctions, which applied to Li and the entire department, were for “significant transactions” with sanctioned persons, pertaining to China’s acquisition of Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 surface-to-air missiles from Russia. (RELATED: Top Biden Official Retires After Alleged Weakness On China Exposed)
Despite not receiving a waiver to those sanctions, Li is still able to meet with his American counterparts in his role as Defense Minister.