BEIJING – China has summoned the U.S. Ambassador in Beijing Terry Branstadand postponed joint military talks in protest against a U.S. decision tosanction a Chinese military agency for buying Russian fighter jets and asurface-to-air missile system.
China’s Defence Ministry said in a statement it would recall navy chiefShen Jinlong from a visit to the United States and postpone planned talksin Beijing set for next week.
The Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said the U.S. had no right tointerfere in Chinese military cooperation with Russia.
It said China’s military reserved the right to take further countermeasuresand demanded to revoke the so called sanctions immediately.
Earlier on Thursday, the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on China’sEquipment Development Department after it engaged in “significanttransactions” with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms exporter.
Meanwhile, Russia has dismissed the US sanctions as an unfair move toundermine the competitiveness of Russian arms exports and vowed toreciprocate.