Russia, China to deepen strategic partnership 

Russia and China have agreed to deepen strategic partnerships aimed at expanding defense cooperation and strengthening coordination between Moscow and Beijing on major geopolitical issues.

Russia’s Security Council made the disclosure in a statement on Monday.

“The sides agreed on further military cooperation with a focus on joint exercises and patrols, as well as on strengthening contacts between the General Staffs,” the security council said in a statement.

The statement comes as Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, a close Putin ally, met China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Nanping to discuss the implementation of agreements Putin and Xi reached at their meeting.

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“The development of a strategic partnership with China is an unconditional priority of Russian foreign policy,” the security council said.

Patrushev and Yang also discussed the Korean peninsula, Taiwan, and Ukraine.

Russia and China have deepened cooperation in recent years, hailing a “no limits” partnership though Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged China’s “concerns” over the situation in Ukraine at a summit in Uzbekistan last week.

The deepening of partnership between the rising superpower of China and the natural resources titan of Russia has raised alarm in some Western capitals.

In recent years China has participated in a number of Russian war games – joint military exercises designed to simulate how the countries would defend themselves against an attack.

Moscow has repeatedly backed Beijing over Taiwan and criticized what it casts as “provocations” by the United States.

China has refrained from condemning Russia’s military operation against Ukraine or calling it an “invasion”.

Zainab Sa’id