RIA Novosti: No plans for military alliance with Moscow, says Chinese envoy

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(RIA Novosti – June 30, 2015)

Li Hui, the Chinese ambassador to Russia, has said that Beijing has no plans to form a military alliance with Moscow. He made this statement during an in-depth interview published on the website of RIA Novosti (part of the state-owned International News Agency Rossiya Segodnya) on 30 June. (http://bit.ly/1FNjB7z)

No threat to third parties

“China and Russia are not only friendly neighbours, but also strategic partners,” Li said, asked whether there was any likelihood of increased cooperation in the military technology sphere. He added that China hoped to develop “all-inclusive and broad cooperation” with Russia, which, he noted, includes military technology.

However, Li emphasized, “China and Russia have asserted on multiple occasions that they are not planning to establish a military alliance in any form”, and any military ties the countries do develop “are not aimed against third parties and do not affect the interests of third countries”.

Li praised the military industrial systems in the countries, which, he said, give them “powerful potential to develop and produce weapons and military hardware”.

“Zero tolerance” for terrorism

Russia and China’s military ties have a positive effect on the mutual trust between the two countries and contribute to stability and security in the region, Li said.

“Security and stability are primary conditions for mutually beneficial cooperation and joint development in any region and any organization,” the Chinese envoy said. For this reason, he added, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which includes both Russia and China, focuses on the fight against the “three forces of evil” – terrorism, separatism and extremism – which it considers “one of the main aspects” of its work.

“We intend to fortify our cooperation with Russia in bilateral and multilateral formats, including the SCO and BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa], to combine efforts in the antiterror sphere, to show ‘zero tolerance’ in the fight against terrorist forces,” Li said, emphasizing that “China consistently stands up against terrorism in all of its forms”.

Mutual enrichment

Turning to the subject of economic cooperation between Russia and China, Li lauded the potential for mutual enrichment presented by two major initiatives: China’s New Silk Road and Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). “Without question, they can become a focal point for the growth of all-encompassing strategic partner relations between China and Russia and an important driver for Eurasian integration,” the envoy said.

He pointed to a number of recent joint projects undertaken by the two countries – including the Power of Siberia natural gas pipeline, a currency swap agreement entered into by the Russian Central Bank and the People’s Bank of China, and the joint construction of a bridge across the Amur (Chinese: Heilongjiang) river. “I am convinced that these effective measures will undoubtedly lend vital substance to Sino-Russian relations, open new possibilities for practical collaboration between our two countries, and give a new impulse for the development of the whole Eurasian continent,” he said.

In that spirit, he spoke of Beijing’s readiness to increase trade with Moscow in the agricultural sector. “China wants to increase the supply of agricultural produce, food products and other goods to Russia,” he said. “Our countries’ regulatory bodies are currently holding talks on mutual supply of produce and meat

 

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