SOCHI, Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin described China on Thursday as Russia\u2019s ally and threw his weight behind Beijing\u2019s claims over Taiwan, while stating that no countries had anything to fear from deepening Sino-Russian co-operation.
The two countries have not declared a formal military alliance, but Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a \u201cno limits\u201d partnership deal in 2022, less than three weeks before Putin sent his troops into Ukraine.
In May this year they agreed to deepen what they called their \u201ccomprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation\u201d for a new era.
\u201cWe do not believe that China is pursuing an aggressive policy in the region,\u201d Putin said at the Valdai discussion club in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.
He suggested that Taiwan was trying to stir up a Ukraine-style crisis in Asia in order to attract outside support.
China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite strong objections by the government in Taipei, and regularly holds wargames near the island.
\u201cA lot is going on around Taiwan,\u201d Putin said. \u201cEveryone formally acknowledges, yes, Taiwan is part of China. But in reality? In reality, it is acting in a completely different direction. Provoking the situation toward escalation.
\u201cWe do support China. And because of this, we believe that (China) is conducting a completely reasonable policy. And also because it is our ally. We have a very large trade turnover, we co-operate in the security sector.\u201d
Taiwan\u2019s foreign ministry said China and Russia were the real problem.
\u201cThe regime of Russia\u2019s Putin launched a war of aggression against Ukraine, leading to misery for Ukraine\u2019s people and sanctions and condemnation from the international community,\u201d it said in a statement.
\u201cChina and Russia together continue to undermine the rule-based international order and have become a serious threat to world peace and stability.\u201d
Putin compared military drills between Russia and China to those the United States holds with Japan.
\u201cThese exercises do not threaten anyone,\u201d Putin said. \u201cThey are aimed at ensuring our security.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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