Joint Statement Between China and Russia
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, on March 21 at the Kremlin in Moscow, signed and released a Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era.
In the statement, the two sides pointed out that China-Russia relations are not a military-political alliance of the kind during the Cold War. They transcend such a model of state-to-state relations and have the nature of no-alliance, no-confrontation and of not targeting any third party.
They said different countries have different histories, cultures and national conditions, and they all have the right to choose their own development path. There is no such thing as a superior "democracy." Russia said it highly regards the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China and also spoke highly of China's Global Development Initiative (GDI) and said it will continue to participate in the work of the GDI's Group of Friends.
Russia, in the statement, reaffirms its adherence to the one-China principle, recognizes Taiwan as an inalienable part of Chinese territory, opposes any form of "Taiwan independence," and firmly supports China's measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Both sides have agreed to strengthen cooperation in law enforcement such as preventing the "colour revolution," and cracking down on the "three forces" including the "East Turkistan Islamic Movement," transnational organized crime, economic crime and drug crime.
The two, according to the statement, will build a closer partnership for energy cooperation. They will support enterprises of both sides in promoting energy cooperation projects such as oil and gas, coal, electricity and nuclear energy, and promote the implementation of initiatives that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the use of low-emission and renewable energy.
They will also jointly safeguard international energy security including the security of key cross-border infrastructure, and maintain the stability of industry and supply chains of energy products.
In the statement, the two countries call for an objective, impartial and professional investigation into the explosion of the Nord Stream pipeline, and jointly oppose the attempt to politicize origin tracing of viruses.
China and Russia express serious concerns about the consequences and risks on regional strategic stability of the trilateral security partnership AUKUS, and related nuclear-powered submarine cooperation programs among the United States, Britain and Australia.
The two sides strongly urge AUKUS members to strictly fulfill their non-proliferation obligations of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, and safeguard regional peace, stability and development.
They also express serious concern about Japan's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident into the sea this year, and stress that Japan must conduct transparent and full consultations with neighbouring countries and other stakeholders and relevant international agencies.
The two sides urge Japan to properly handle the nuclear-contaminated water in a scientific, transparent and safe manner, and accept the long-term supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency and related countries, so as to effectively protect the marine environment and the rights to health of people of all countries.
Both countries express serious concern about the biological military activities of the United States, both inside and outside the country, which seriously threaten other countries and undermine the security of relevant regions. They demand that the United States make clarification on this, and refrain from carrying out biological activities that violate the Biological Weapons Convention.
The two sides urge NATO to abide by its commitments as a regional and defensive organization. They call on NATO to respect the sovereignty, security, interests, diversity of civilizations, history and culture of other countries, and to treat their peaceful development in an objective and fair manner.
They also express serious concern about NATO's continuous strengthening of military security ties with Asian-Pacific countries and undermining of regional peace and stability. The two sides oppose piecing together a closed and exclusive group structure in the region, and divisive politics and confrontation.
China and Russia, said the statement, express concern over the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and urge the U.S. side to respond to the legitimate and reasonable concerns of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with practical actions and create conditions for the resumption of dialogue.
(Xinhua)
This article was published in
Volume 53 Number 5 - March 2023
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/MS530511.HTM
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