MOSCOW – Russia and China called on NATO to halt its expansion in a joint statement on Friday (Feb 4), while Moscow said it fully supported Beijing’s stance on Taiwan and opposed Taiwanese independence in any form.
The joint statement was published during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China for the Winter Olympics. It included scathing condemnation of the United States.
According to the Kremlin, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping enjoyed friendly and substantial conversations in Beijing, and the relationship is an advanced collaboration with a unique character.
Putin also announced a big new gas contract with China, indicating that the two neighbors’ cooperation is expanding at a time of heightened stress in their relations with the West.
“The Russian side reaffirms its support for the One-China concept, confirms that Taiwan is an integral part of China, and opposes any form of Taiwan independence,” according to the joint statement.
The two countries expressed worry over the “progress of US plans to construct global missile defense and deploy its elements in various parts of the world, combined with capacity building of high-precision non-nuclear weapons for disarming strikes and other strategic purposes.”
They stated their opposition to future NATO enlargement and urged the organization to quit its “ideologized Cold War policies.”
The Kremlin’s fundamental demand in its stalemate with the West over Ukraine is a halt to NATO’s eastward expansion of new member nations. The US has rejected some of Moscow’s fundamental suggestions, but has stated that it is open to address other issues such as arms control.
According to the joint statement, China supports Russia’s initiatives to provide legally binding security assurances in Europe.
According to the Kremlin, the presidents also emphasized the necessity to broaden commerce in national currencies due to the volatility of the dollar’s use.
US Vice President Joe Biden has stated that if Russia invades Ukraine, Russian corporations may be denied the opportunity to deal in dollars as part of penalties.
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