Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is visiting Beijing today, have condemned what they say is the increasingly aggressive behavior of the United States and committed to deepening the already strong military and defense ties between their countries. With an evident disappointment to the American administration, whose Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, he had flown to China last month To try to convince Beijing to scale back its relations with Moscow, Xi signaled that Beijing and Moscow see eye to eye on a number of important issues, including Ukraine, and that they will resist Western pressure to scale back their ties.
“The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides must cherish and nurture it,” Xi told Putin. “China is willing to jointly realize the development and strengthening of our respective countries, and to work together to support equity and justice in the world“. In a joint statement they expressed concerns about what were described as US efforts to violate the strategic nuclear balance, about US global missile defense threatening Russia and China, and about US plans to high-precision non-nuclear weapons. Putin, on his first foreign trip after taking office this month for a new presidential term, described Moscow and Beijing’s cooperation in world affairs as a major factor in stabilizing the country. international arena. “Together we are defending the principles of justice and a democratic world order that reflects multipolar realities and is based on international law,” Putin told Xi.
The message to the West
By choosing China for his first foreign trip after being sworn in this month to a six-year term that will keep him in power until at least 2030, Putin is sending a message to the world on his priorities and the strength of his personal ties with Xi. The joint statement was described as a deepening of strategic relations and spoke specifically about how joint defense cooperation between the two nations would enhance regional and global security and plans to deepen military ties. He also condemned moves to seize assets and property of foreign states, a clear reference to Western moves to redirect profits from frozen Russian assets or the assets themselves to help Ukraine.
Xi said both sides agreed that one political solution to Ukrainian crisis is the “right direction” and the joint statement states that both countries are against a prolonged conflict in Ukraine and its possible transition to an uncontrollable phase. Putin, arriving today for a two-day visit that will include talks on Ukraine, Asia, energy and trade, said he was grateful to China for trying to resolve the Ukraine crisis, adding that he would brief Xi on situation in Ukraine, where Russian forces are advancing on several fronts.
Describing early talks with Xi as “warm and comradely“, outlined the areas in which the two countries are strengthening ties, from nuclear and energy cooperation to food supplies and Chinese car production in Russia. The informal talks between the leaders and senior officials of both sides, which will held over tea and dinner in the evening, are expected to be the key to the two-day trip. Putin’s new Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, as well as Russia’s most powerful CEOs.
The points of the joint declaration
Here are the cornerstones of the joint statement, 7000 words long.
- The alliance. Russia and China “are determined to defend their legitimate rights and interests, to resist any attempts to hinder the normal development of bilateral ties, to interfere in the internal affairs of the two States and to limit Russia’s economic, technological or foreign policy potential and China”.
- Taiwan: Russia “reaffirms its commitment to the principle of one Chinarecognizes that Taiwan is an integral part of China, opposes Taiwan’s independence in any form, and firmly supports the Chinese side’s actions to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as to unify the country.”
- Ukraine: “The Russian side positively evaluates China’s objective and impartial position on the Ukrainian issue.” China “supports the Russian side’s efforts to ensure security and stability, national development and prosperity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and opposes external interference in Russia’s internal affairs.”
- United States: Russia and China are seriously concerned about “US attempts to violate the strategic balance”, i.e.: US global missile defense and deployment of parts of it in regions of the world and in space; development of high-precision non-nuclear weapons; deployment of land-based intermediate-range and short-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific and European regions. “The parties strongly condemn these extremely destabilizing steps, which pose a direct threat to the security of Russia and China” and “oppose hegemonic US attempts to change the balance of power in Northeast Asia through the accumulation of military power and the creation of military blocs and coalitions. The United States still thinks in Cold War terms and is guided by the logic of inter-bloc confrontation, placing the security of ‘narrow groups’ above regional security and stability, which creates a threat to the security of all countries in the region. The United States must abandon this behavior.”
- North Korea: “The parties oppose the military intimidation actions carried out by the United States and its allies, which provoke a further confrontation with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, fraught with armed incidents and an escalation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula “.
- Nuclear War: “There can be no winners in a nuclear war and it should never be fought.”
- Markets: increase the share of national currencies in bilateral trade; encourage debt issuance in both markets; develop insurance and financial markets.
- Industry: develop civil aircraft construction, shipbuilding, automobile manufacturers, machine tool industry, electronics industry, metallurgy, iron ore mining, chemical industry and forestry.
- Agriculture: expand mutual access to agricultural products, increase the trade volume of soybeans, pig farming, water production, grains, fats and oil, fruits and vegetables, nuts and other products.
- Technology: develop cooperation in the area of information and communication technologies, including artificial intelligence, communications, software, the Internet of Things, open source, network and data security, video games, radio frequency coordination, specialized education and industrial research activity.
- Power: “Strive to ensure the stability and sustainability of the global energy market by strengthening value chains in the fuel and energy complex. Develop market-based cooperation in the oil, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG) sectors , coal and electricity, ensuring the stable operation of relevant cross-border infrastructure and the creation of conditions for the unhindered transportation of energy resources”.
- Civil nuclear: deepen the nuclear energy partnership, including thermonuclear fusion, fast neutron reactors and the closed nuclear fuel cycle.
