Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
MOSCOW, May 9 (Xinhua) — China and Russia have called on nuclear powers to abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum games, according to a joint statement released here on Thursday.
The parties stressed the importance of maintaining constructive relations between major countries in resolving global strategic issues.
Members of the nuclear club bear special responsibility for international security and global strategic stability, they should refrain from steps that cause strategic risks and resolve problems through equal dialogue and consultations based on mutual respect to strengthen trust and avoid dangerous misjudgments, Beijing and Moscow noted.
The statement said that not all nuclear powers adhere to the above-mentioned position. Growing tensions between nuclear states have escalated to the point of risk of direct military clashes, problems and challenges continue to arise in the strategic sphere, and the danger of nuclear conflicts is increasing, China and Russia emphasized.
The fact that some nuclear-weapon States are building or expanding permanent military bases in sensitive areas around other nuclear-weapon States, flexing their military muscle to exert pressure, or committing hostile acts that threaten the core security interests of other countries has become one of the most serious strategic risks and must be addressed without delay, the statement said.
The forward deployment of military facilities and modern offensive and defensive weapons is constantly increasing, which is a cause for serious concern, the parties emphasized.
The recently announced US “Golden Dome” plan aims to create a global missile defense system that will not be subject to any restrictions to repel various missile threats, including those from “peer” adversaries, which also seriously damages strategic stability, the statement said.
This plan completely denies the inextricable link between strategic offensive and strategic defensive weapons, the basic principle of maintaining global strategic stability. In addition, it also provides for further support for research and development of kinetic and non-kinetic means of destroying missiles and their support facilities, and ensuring “kill before launch”.
The Golden Dome program openly proposes a significant increase in the number of space warfare capabilities, including the development and deployment of orbital interception systems, the weaponization of space and its transformation into a site for large-scale armed confrontation, which further worsens the situation, the statement noted.
According to the document, Beijing and Moscow oppose attempts by individual countries to use space for armed confrontation and reject security measures aimed at achieving military superiority, defining outer space as a “combat area” and its use as such.
China and Russia have condemned the use of commercial space systems to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign states and armed conflicts in other countries.
A nuclear state, with the support of its allies, seeks to undermine the reliability and effectiveness of strategic deterrence of other nuclear powers in an attempt to achieve overwhelming military superiority and ultimately “absolute strategic security.” This fundamentally violates the basic logic of maintaining strategic balance and contradicts the principle of equal and indivisible security, the statement said.
Any military confrontation between nuclear-weapon states should be resolutely avoided, and political and diplomatic solutions to existing differences should be sought on the basis of mutual recognition and mutual respect for security interests and issues of concern, the document emphasizes.
Beijing and Moscow noted that through the trilateral security partnership, the United States, Britain and Australia are attempting to establish military facilities used by two nuclear-armed states to protect their nuclear forces on the territory of a country that has signed the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty, undermining strategic stability and provoking an arms race in the region. –0–