PLA halts US talks in protest over sanctions

The Chinese military has halted major military dialogue for the near future with the United States in protest of its recent sanctions on Chinese military entities for procuring Russian military hardware, China's Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday night.

On Thursday, the US State Department imposed sanctions on China's Equipment Development Department, the branch of the military responsible for weapons procurement, for engaging in "significant transactions" with Rosoboronexport, a major Russian arms exporter.

The sanctions target the EDD and its director, Li Shangfu, who are involved in China's purchase of Russia's SU-35 combat aircraft and the S-400 surface-to-air missile system, the US department said.