Status: 04/18/2023 5:33 p.m
China and Russia have once again demonstrated their close ties: Defense Minister Li spoke out in Moscow in favor of closer military cooperation. Shoigu spoke of “unbreakable friendship”.
At a meeting in Moscow, the defense ministers of Russia and China, Sergey Shoigu and Li Shangfu, spoke out in favor of more intensive military cooperation between their countries. The aim is to take the cooperation to a new level in order to have a “stabilizing influence” on the international situation, said Shoigu.
Addressing Li, Shoigu said he was counting on the “closest and most fruitful cooperation in the spirit of unbreakable friendship between our countries, peoples and also between the armed forces of Russia and China”. Russia is striving for a multipolar world order without “Western dominance” led by the USA.
Expansion of military-technical cooperation
Li, in turn, reiterated his country’s “determination” to strengthen cooperation with the Russian military. According to Russian media, he said that military-technical cooperation and military-trade relations should also be expanded.
Shoigu stressed that Li, who also met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, is showing the world the importance of relations between Moscow and Beijing with his first trip abroad since he took office. And the Chinese minister, according to the Russian translation, said: “We are undoubtedly taking this to a new level.” He also emphasized the planned expansion of the strategic partnership.
China and Russia want to expand military-technical cooperation and military trade relations.
Image: dpa
Agreement on Cooperation of Military Academies
Both sides signed an agreement on the cooperation of their military academies. In its war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine and the resulting break with the West, Russia is trying to win over China as a strong partner.
China sees itself as neutral in the war. However, Western states accuse the government in Beijing of tacitly supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The West fears that China could supply arms to Russia to support the offensive in Ukraine.