Beijing Will Defend World Security Based On President Putin's Consensus With President Xi

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin. (Twitter/@MFA_China)

JAKARTA - Beijing will resolutely defend global security based on the mutual understanding reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday.

"We are continuing our efforts based on the consensus reached by the leaders of China and Russia. And we will actively contribute to the permanent maintenance of regional and global security as a whole," he told a news briefing, responding to a question from TASS about the prospects for joint Russia-China cooperation with other CSTO countries, as quoted December 18.

According to the Chinese diplomat, several countries seeking to establish their hegemony in the world are "trying to establish new military organizations that lead to an escalation of tensions in the region."

"Beijing and Moscow strongly oppose such actions," said Wang Wenbin.

To note, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a virtual summit on December 15. As the Russian Presidential Adjutant for International Affairs Yury Ushakov told reporters, the conversation lasted almost an hour and a half.

According to him, the leaders focused on all the top priority issues ranging from security guarantees for Moscow in Europe to the formation of new alliances in the Asia-Pacific region.

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, citing Reuters.

During the virtual summit, the Chinese leader said that Beijing intends to continue flexible and diverse cooperation with Moscow and other CSTO countries to maintain security and stability in the region.

Separately, on Thursday, CSTO Press Secretary Vladimir Zainetdinov told TASS the establishment of dialogue and cooperation with China to maintain security and stability in the region was on the agenda.

He added that contacts should be based on universally recognized principles of international law, in line with the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter and the CSTO Charter.