China says ready to boost military cooperation with Russia
China says it is ready to boost cooperation with the Russian military in order to jointly uphold international justice, peace and security.
According to Press TV, Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesman Tan Kefei said during a press briefing on Thursday that China is “willing to work together with the Russian military to fully implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state.”
The spokesman said the two nations plan to regularly organize joint maritime and air patrols. Tan said the aim is to “deepen military mutual trust” with Russia to help ensure international justice and make new contributions to international and regional security. This would “serve the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.”
The spokesman said relations between Moscow and Beijing do not amount to a Cold War-style military-political alliance.
He said the ties “transcend this model of state relations” and have a nature of “non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third countries.” Tan said China is a “builder of world peace” and a “contributor to global development.”
In contrast, he said the US uses its mammoth defense budget – which is the highest in the world – to “wage wars and create turmoil everywhere,” thus making it “the biggest threat to world peace, security and stability.”
President Xi Jinping of China and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit in Moscow earlier this month.
China and Russia have agreed to expand trade, energy and political relations amid the West’s increasingly adversarial approach over the war in Ukraine.
Washington has become more vigilant about the relations between Beijing and Moscow ever since President Xi and Putin struck a “no limits” partnership in February 2022.
China has blamed the United States and NATO for “provoking” Moscow over the Ukraine war and has condemned Western sanctions against Russia.
Russia has also strongly backed China amid the recent tensions between Beijing and Washington over the US political and military interference in Taiwan.
ME
