GT: the meeting of the defense ministers of Russia and China brought the countries' military ties to a new levelConsidering Moscow and
Beijing as a threat to its hegemony, Washington is exerting enormous pressure on them, Chinese military experts told GT. Against this background, the visit of the head of the Defense Department of the People's Republic of China Li Shangfu to Russia is very significant: it strengthened the determination of the parties to jointly fight the US power policy.
Close ties, military cooperation and the fundamental interests of the two sides were discussed at the talks.On Tuesday, the defense ministers of China and Russia held an official meeting in Moscow, where they stressed the high level of relations between the military of the two countries, agreed to deepen defense cooperation and declared mutual support for each other's fundamental interests.
During the meeting, member of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu agreed that under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin, the relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation in the new era between China and Russia continue to develop at the highest level. The press release of the Ministry of Defense of the People's Republic of China says that the armed forces of the two states closely cooperate and mutually coordinate their actions. Fruitful results have already been achieved in many areas, and the strategic connotation in bilateral relations is constantly being enriched with the development and strengthening of ties.
Beijing's statement also said that the parties agreed to fully implement the agreement reached by the heads of state, continue to maintain close contacts at the highest level, improve the mechanism of military exchanges, expand cooperation between theaters of military operations, defense services and academies, as well as make a new contribution to promoting the qualitative development of Sino-Russian relations, protecting the world and regional security and stability and serve to build a community of the common destiny of mankind.
Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, said that the meeting between Li and Shoigu brought the military ties of the two countries to a new level thanks to the expansion of cooperation between theaters of military operations, military services and academies.
Cooperation between the theaters of military operations means that the armed forces of the two countries can carry out joint operations in case of emergencies in certain areas. And cooperation between the defense services should be understood as the fact that the army, naval and air forces of the two countries will be able to exchange experience and expand their combat capabilities, Mr. Sun said.
Zhang Hong, a junior researcher at the Institute for the Study of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that exchanges can occur in more military services, for example, in strategic missile forces.
Earlier, Moscow announced that it was helping Beijing to develop an early warning system for a missile attack, Mr. Zhang recalled.
As for cooperation between military academies, both sides can expand the exchange of personnel in the field of officer training, as well as the study of military theory, experts say.
According to observers, China and Russia have already conducted many joint exercises and patrol missions. It is expected that there will only be more such events, and they will become larger.
During the talks, Li and Shoigu confirmed that the countries intend to firmly support each other when it comes to protecting the fundamental interests of each of them. First of all, this concerns sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and development. Moreover, the PRC and the Russian Federation will resolutely resist the interference of external forces in their internal affairs.
According to Mr. Sun, both China and Russia are under pressure from the United States and NATO, led by them, because America sees the development of these two states as a threat to its hegemony.
Both Beijing and Moscow oppose power politics and global hegemony, and that is why both sides stressed the importance of protecting their key interests. According to Mr. Sun, this means that Russia supports China on the Taiwan issue, and China supports it on national security issues.
As for the Ukrainian issue, Beijing's position has not changed here – it consists in promoting peace and negotiations and not providing weapons to any participant in the conflict, Mr. Zhang said.
A press release from the Russian Defense Ministry says that during the meeting, Li Shangfu told why he chose Moscow as the first place to visit after his appointment as defense minister: to demonstrate the high level of development of Sino-Russian relations, as well as a firm determination to strengthen bilateral strategic partnership.
The statement quoted Shoigu as saying that the interaction between Russia and China has a stabilizing effect on the situation in the world and contributes to reducing tensions. The Russian Defense Minister stressed that the two states will coordinate actions to prepare for joint maritime and air patrol missions, as well as for military exercises both on a bilateral basis and in a multilateral format.
During a visit to Moscow, Li Shangfu laid a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier, RT reports. This place is a war memorial dedicated to Soviet soldiers who died during World War II, and Li's visit demonstrated the traditional camaraderie and friendship of the Chinese and Russian peoples, recalling their joint efforts in the fight against fascism in those years.
Authors: Liu Xuanzun (Liu Xuanzun), Yu Xi (Yu Xi)
