China's President Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin met in Beijing on Friday and announced a strategic partnership that they said was aimed at countering the influence of the United States and that would have "no 'forbidden' areas of cooperation".
Here are some key points from their joint statement.
- Russia voiced support for China's stance that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and opposition to any form of independence for the island.
- They voiced opposition to the AUKUS alliance between Australia, Britain and the United States, which they said increased the danger of an arms race.
- China joined Russia in calling for an end to NATO enlargement and supported its demand for security guarantees from the West, notably regarding Ukraine.
- They expressed concern about U.S. plans to develop missile defence and deploy it in various parts of the world.
- They criticised attempts by "certain states" to establish global hegemony and impose their own standards of democracy.
- They plan to strengthen cooperation on artificial intelligence and information security.
(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Frances Kerry)
