Putin and Jinping meeting
Putin says Moscow supports Beijing’s One China policy
Samarkand/Uzbekistan (agency). Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday. Putin said Moscow supports Beijing’s “one China” policy, opposes “provocation” by the United States in the Taiwan Strait, and values China’s “balanced position” on Ukraine.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan. It was their first one-on-one meeting since Russia launched its “special military operation” in Ukraine in February.
In a televised opening speech at the bilateral meeting, Putin told Xi, “We attach great importance to the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis.” We understand your questions and concerns regarding this. During today’s meeting, we will certainly clarify our position.
Russia has drawn closer to China since sending its armed forces to Ukraine in February, a decision that sparked an unprecedented flouting of Western sanctions against Moscow.
In a brief public statement, Putin emphasized Beijing’s key positions and aligns the two countries into what analysts see as an anti-American, anti-Western coalition.
Putin responded to Beijing’s insistence that other countries do not recognize Taiwan as a self-governing island, which Beijing claims as part of China as an independent country.
“We intend to firmly adhere to the principle of One China,” Putin said. He said that Russia condemns provocations by the United States and their satellites in the Taiwan Strait. The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is obliged by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. China has never ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control.
