Held Virtual Meeting, President Putin And President Xi Jinping Criticize AUKUS And QUAD Military Alliance

JAKARTA - Russia and China must stand firm in rejecting Western interference and defending each other's security interests, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping agreed in a video call on Wednesday.

Their conversation, eight days after President Putin spoke with US President Joe Biden in a similar format, underscores how shared hostility towards the West brings Moscow and Beijing closer.

"Currently, certain international powers under the guise of 'democracy' and 'human rights' are interfering in the internal affairs of China and Russia, and brutally trampling on international law, as well as recognized norms of international relations," Xi said as reported by Reuters from Xinhua Dec 16.

"China and Russia should step up their joint efforts to more effectively safeguard the security interests of both sides," he said.

Meanwhile, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters President Xi had offered Putin support for his push to secure binding security guarantees for Russia from the West, saying he understood Moscow's concerns.

He said the two leaders also expressed their "negative views" about the creation of new military alliances such as the AUKUS partnership between Australia, Britain, and the United States and the Indo-Pacific Quad of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States.

The call highlights the ways in which Russia and China draw on each other for mutual support, at a time of high tension in their relations with the West. China is under pressure over human rights and Russia is accused of threatening behavior against Ukraine.

The Kremlin said President Putin informed President Xi of his conversation with President Biden, in which the US President warned Russia not to attack Ukraine, which Moscow denies, with President Putin putting forward his demands for security pledges.

"A new model of cooperation has been established between our countries, based, among other things, on principles such as non-interference in internal affairs and respect for each other's interests," President Putin told President Xi.