Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called China an ally of Russia and supported Beijing's demands on Taiwan, while saying no country need fear deepening Sino-Russian cooperation.
The two countries have not declared a formal military alliance, but Mr. Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a “no-holds-barred” partnership agreement in 2022, less than three weeks before Mr. Putin sent his troops in Ukraine.
In May this year, they agreed to deepen what they called their “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” for a new era.
“We do not believe that China is pursuing an aggressive policy in the region,” Mr. Putin told the Valdai discussion club in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.
He suggested that Taiwan was trying to provoke a Ukraine-style crisis in Asia in order to attract external support.
China considers democratically governed Taiwan its own territory and regularly holds drills near the island.
“There are a lot of things happening around Taiwan. Everyone officially recognizes that Taiwan is part of China. But in reality? In reality, it is acting in a completely different direction. It is causing an escalation of the situation,” he said. said Mr. Putin.
“We support China. And for this reason, we believe that (China) is pursuing a very reasonable policy. And also because it is our ally. Our trade is very important and we cooperate in the field of security.
Mr. Putin compared bilateral military exercises between Russia and China to those the United States conducts with Japan.
“These exercises do not threaten anyone,” Mr. Putin said. “They aim to guarantee our safety.
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