Chinese and Russian militaries held “strategic consultations” on Wednesday where they vowed to strengthen their ties and discussed bilateral and international security issues, Beijing said.
It was the 22nd round of talks between the superpowers and came just two days after the head of the United States Indo-Pacific Command said he was “very concerned” about joint military actions by Russia and China in the region.
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“[The two sides] will jointly implement the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and President [Vladimir] Putin, further enhance the level of strategic coordination between the two militaries, and make new contributions to prompting regional and world peace and stability,” the statement following the meeting read.
It did not list which officials attended the talks. The last time the two countries held similar meetings was in 2019.
Xi and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin met separately in Beijing on Wednesday, where they discussed the “strategic choice” to partner up to protect and further the interests of both countries.
“Next year, China and Russia will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and launch the China-Russia Cultural Year,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “We look forward to deepening bilateral cooperation through dialogue and communication on the basis of the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit, and win-win results.”
Earlier this month, Chinese and Russian warplanes conducted joint air patrols over the Sea of Japan. South Korea and Japan claimed they had to scramble fighter jets in response to the patrols.
Russia claimed the patrols were above board and following international law. It also claimed that the patrols were not directed at Japan or South Korea.
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Adding to the tension in the region is North Korea, which recently put its military capabilities on display after conducting intercontinental ballistic missile tests.
The U.S. and its allies on Tuesday condemned Pyongyang’s launch at a United Nations Security Council meeting, calling on North Korea to spend its time focusing on diplomacy and not triggering a crisis. China and Russia rushed to North Korea’s defense and claimed America was behind the heightened tensions in the region.
