Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in Beijing on Thursday and agreed to deepen military cooperation, as China has brushed off US warnings about its relationship with Russia.
According to The South China Morning Post, Russia and China released a joint statement that said they would “further deepen mutual military trust and cooperation” by expanding joint military exercises, increasing air and sea patrols, and strengthening their coordination under bilateral and multilateral frames.
Xi also renewed a call for a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. “Both sides agree that a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis is the correct direction,” he said. “China’s position on this issue has been consistent and clear, including … the respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and the legitimate security concerns of all parties.”
China has consistently called for peace talks in Ukraine throughout the war, while the US and most of NATO have opposed the idea and flooded weapons into the country. Regardless, the US and NATO have accused China of fueling the conflict by increasing trade with Russia, a natural step for two countries facing similar pressure from the West.
China doesn’t provide weapons to Russia, but the US points to the export of technology that can be used to build weapons as evidence of Beijing providing “material support” to the Russian military. The US recently sanctioned 20 Chinese companies for trading with Russia.
While Putin was in Beijing, the Pentagon issued a fresh warning to China over its relationship with Russia. Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, spoke with a Chinese military official and raised “serious concern over the [Peoples Republic of China’s] support for Russia’s defense industrial base that enables Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
Source: AntiWar.
