‘There is no forbidden zone’ in the Russia-China friendship despite the US – National

China and Russia on Friday announced a far-reaching strategic partnership aimed at balancing what it sees as the United States’ ill-advised global influence as Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Russia’s Vladimir Putin on opening day. Beijing Winter Olympics.

In a joint statement, the two countries asserted that their new relationship is superior to any political or military alliance during the Cold War.

They declared: “The friendship between the two countries knows no bounds, no areas of cooperation “forbidden”, and announced plans to cooperate in many fields including space, climate change, intelligence, etc. artificial intelligence and control of the Internet.

This agreement marks the most detailed and decisive statement yet of the determination of Russia and China to work together – and against the United States – to build a new international order based on their own understanding of humanity. rights and democracy.

It is not clear if it can immediately translate into a tangible and practical increase in cooperation despite Putin’s announcement of a new gas deal with China on Friday, or is it intended as a statement. statement of general policy intentions.

“The two leaders are declaring their determination to stand together and stand against the US and the West – ready to endure sanctions and vie for US global leadership,” said Daniel Russel of the US think tank. Asia Association, who was the head of the US State Department, said. East Asian diplomat under the Obama administration.

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Although not officially allies, the two “are seeing common ground as a matter of tactics to better defend their interests and their authoritarian systems against Western pressure,” he said. ”, he said.

Jonathan Eyal of the London-based Royal Institute of Joint Services said the statement marked a “face-to-face rejection” of US and Western views of the world and was a possible building block towards a military alliance.

It is the clearest expression of the strategy of ‘making the world safe for dictatorship’, he said. “It was a historic moment because they both felt cornered and they felt their time had come to express their vision of the world and promote it positively.”

The two countries have drawn closer together as both come under pressure from the West over a range of issues including their human rights record and Russia’s military build-up near Ukraine. The timing of their announcement was highly symbolic, at an Olympics hosted by China for which the United States was diplomatically ostracized.

There was no immediate comment from the White House or the State Department.

In the lengthy document – nearly 5,400 words translated into English – each has gone significantly further than the previous in favor of the other on key flashpoints of tensions with the West.

– Russia voiced support for China’s position that Taiwan is an inviolable part of China, and opposes any form of independence from the island. Moscow and Beijing also voiced opposition to the AUKUS alliance between Australia, Britain and the US, saying it increased the risk of an arms race in the region.

– China joins Russia in calling for an end to NATO expansion and supporting the bloc’s demand for security guarantees from the West – central issues in Moscow’s confrontation with the US and its allies over Ukraine. .

The two countries expressed concern about “the progress in US plans to develop a global missile defense system and deploy its elements in various regions of the world, combined with enhanced high-precision non-nuclear weapons capabilities to disarm strikes and other strategic objectives”.

Elsewhere, without naming Washington, they criticized efforts by “several countries” to establish global hegemony, fan rivalry and impose their own democratic standards. .

In the field of technology, Russia and China said they are ready to strengthen cooperation on artificial intelligence and information security.

They said they believe “any attempt to limit their sovereign right to regulate national segments of the Internet and ensure their security is unacceptable”.

Meanwhile, Russia’s state energy giants Gazprom and Rosneft on Friday agreed new oil and gas supply deals with Beijing worth tens of billions of dollars.

These agreements build on Putin’s efforts to diversify Russia’s energy exports from the West, which began shortly after he came to power in 1999. Since then, Russia has become an energy supplier. China’s leading position and cut its dependence on the West for revenue.

The Kremlin said the presidents also discussed the need to expand trade in national currencies because of the unpredictability surrounding the use of the dollar.

US President Joe Biden said Russian companies could be cut off from their ability to trade in dollars as part of sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine.

Moscow denies any such intention, but has used more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border to attract the attention of the West and press its demands for security guarantees.

China’s gas supplies are not directly related to Russian gas exports to Europe, and more Russian gas supplies to Beijing does not automatically mean less for Europe. However, they serve Putin as a revenue generator amid the growing threat of US and EU sanctions.

– Reporting by Andrew Osborn in Moscow, Mark Trevelyan in London and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Written by Mark Trevelyan