China, Russia Oppose NATO Expansion In Joint Statement

The People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation, in a joint statement, opposed NATO expansion and called on the North Atlantic Alliance to abandon the ideological approaches of the Cold War era.

This is stated in the text of the document, which is published on the website of the President of Russia.

"The parties oppose the further expansion of NATO, call on the North Atlantic Alliance to abandon the ideological approaches of the Cold War era, to respect the sovereignty, security and interests of other countries, the diversity of their civilizational and cultural and historical ways, to treat the peaceful development of other states objectively and fairly," the statement says.

Also, the Russian Federation and China oppose the creation of opposing blocs in the Asia-Pacific region.

China has said it supports NATO's security proposals, which include not expanding the alliance.

"The Chinese side treats with understanding and supports the proposals put forward by the Russian Federation on the formation of long-term legally binding security guarantees in Europe," the text says.

Russia, in turn, reiterates its adherence to the "One China" principle, and also that Taiwan is an integral part of China, and opposes Taiwan's independence in any form.

At the same time, neither Ukraine nor Crimea are mentioned in the text.

The parties declared that no country can ensure its security at the expense of the security of other countries, and opposed any external interference in the internal affairs of other countries and separately against "color" revolutions.

In general, the document touches upon a wide range of international issues, including terrorism, climate change, the fight against the coronavirus epidemic, many times it emphasizes the need to preserve and develop the role of the UN as a key platform in international relations.

The parties separately prescribed the interpretation of the concept of "democracy" as "a way of citizens' participation in managing their own country in the interests of improving the well-being of the population and ensuring the principle of democracy", stressed that democracy "is not built according to stencils" and can be implemented in various forms "from the socio-political structure, history, traditions and cultural characteristics of a particular state".

"The parties are confident that the protection of democracy and human rights should not be used as a tool to put pressure on other countries. The parties oppose the abuse of democratic values, interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states under the pretext of protecting democracy and human rights, as well as attempts to provoke a split and confrontation in the world. The parties call on the international community to respect the diversity of cultures and civilizations, the right of the peoples of different countries to self-determination," the text says.

The document also contains a lot of criticism of international policy in the United States, including the denunciation of arms treaties and the creation of a trilateral alliance with Great Britain and Australia (AUKUS).

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on February 4, President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during Putin's visit to China on the occasion of the opening of the Winter Olympic Games.

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