Russia, China Affirm Joint Bid to Counter West

"MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, agreed to rebuff Western intrusion into their countries' internal affairs and boost efforts to defend their nations' security interests, strengthening cooperation between Moscow and Beijing as both face pressure from the U.S. and Europe.

Mr. Putin told Mr. Xi during a videoconference Wednesday that Russia and China had developed a model of cooperation based in part on "the principles of noninterference in each other's affairs and mutual resolve to turn our common border into a belt of eternal peace and good-neighborliness," the Kremlin said.

Mr. Xi accused "certain forces in the world" of meddling in both countries' domestic affairs under the pretext of democracy and human rights. He told Mr. Putin that "efforts must be made to firmly reject hegemonic acts and the Cold War mentality under the disguise of multilateralism and rules," according to China's Foreign Ministry.

The meeting allowed the countries to highlight their deepening relationship, presenting it as a counterweight to President Biden's continuing efforts to unify democratic countries. A perception in Beijing and Moscow of diminished U.S. power is partly behind the growing cooperation, analysts said.

The relationship remains far from the sort of security alliance that has long underpinned U.S. foreign policy. China, in particular, remains concerned about getting dragged into the type of foreign conflicts that it believes have weakened the U.S.

That is especially true as Mr. Xi faces a range of issues at home, most notably an economy that has slowed amid a reeling property market, weakening consumer demand and other factors.

The two leaders made their remarks amid criticism from the West. Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization recently have accused Russia of amassing troops on its border with Ukraine as a prelude to invade its smaller neighbor. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven -- which is made up of the largest developed economies -- have warned the Kremlin of severe consequences if Russia invades Ukraine, which Moscow denies it is planning.

China, meanwhile, has faced criticism over its suppression of a largely Muslim minority group and other human-rights abuses, characterizations that Beijing rejects. The Biden administration said this month it wouldn't send U.S. officials to attend the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in February. Other countries, including Britain and Australia, said they would join the diplomatic boycott.

Those moves make it harder for Beijing to show domestic audiences that the Winter Games -- and, by extension, China -- have broad international support. It could also complicate a tentative effort that Mr. Biden and the Chinese leader discussed in their virtual meeting in November to find areas of cooperation in a relationship marked by competition over trade, technology, military power and global influence.

 

The Kremlin has raised concerns about NATO's influence in Ukraine and military deployments in neighboring countries. Russia is demanding legally binding security guarantees that the Western alliance won't expand further eastward, with Moscow saying that would encroach on its own traditional sphere of influence.

 

Mr. Putin told Mr. Xi he plans to attend the opening of the Winter Games and looks forward to an in-person meeting, according to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov.

The countries had enmity, including deadly border conflicts that led China and the Soviet Union to the brink of war in 1969. Russia has touted its strengthening ties with China in recent years, with Mr. Putin boasting this year that "Russia-China relations have reached their highest level in history."" [1]

1. World News: Russia, China Affirm Joint Bid to Counter West
Simmons, Ann M; Spegele, Brian. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 16 Dec 2021: A.14.