Chinese and Russian defence ministers reaffirm close bilateral ties
- ‘Our interaction is important for strategic stability on the planet,’ Dong Jun says after meeting with Sergey Shoigu; both chiefs back continued military cooperation
- Statements come as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken presses Beijing on supplying components ‘powering Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine’
China’s defence minister said on Friday that maintaining close ties with Russia was of “particular importance”, even as Washington presses Beijing to stop what the US contends is its continued support for Moscow’s military.
Minister Dong Jun made the statement on Friday during a work session with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the sideline of a defence ministers’ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
“In a volatile international environment, it is particularly important that the relations between our armed forces maintain a high dynamic and respond to the trends of the times. Our interaction is important for strategic stability on the planet,” Dong was quoted by the TASS news agency as saying.
Shoigu said that friendly relations between Russia and China “continue to develop at a high rate, expanding in all areas”, and that Moscow-Beijing military cooperation was essential for enhancing defence capacities and maintaining global and regional stability.
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“We regularly carry out operational and combat training on land, at sea and in the air, successfully practising combat training tasks of varying complexity,” he was quoted as saying.
Shoigu attributed worsening military and political tension in the world to “the West’s geopolitical escapades and selfish neocolonial activities”, adding that Moscow and Beijing generally agreed “on the fundamental issues of the current world order and pressing international problems”.