China summons US envoy, cancels joint military drills
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BEIJING - China has summoned the U.S. Ambassador in Beijing Terry Branstad and postponed joint military talks in protest against a U.S. decision to sanction a Chinese military agency for buying Russian fighter jets and a surface-to-air missile system.
China’s Defence Ministry said in a statement it would recall navy chief Shen Jinlong from a visit to the United States and postpone planned talks in Beijing set for next week.
The Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said the U.S. had no right to interfere in Chinese military cooperation with Russia.
It said China’s military reserved the right to take further countermeasures and demanded to revoke the so called sanctions immediately.
Earlier on Thursday, the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on China’s Equipment Development Department after it engaged in “significant transactions” with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms exporter.
Meanwhile, Russia has dismissed the US sanctions as an unfair move to undermine the competitiveness of Russian arms exports and vowed to reciprocate.
