Putin values respect at heart of ties with China

MOSCOW－Russia enjoys an unprecedentedly high level of bilateral relations with China, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.

"We always respect the interests of our partners in the international arena and appreciate it when they treat us the same way. China treats us the same way," the president told the online Russia Calling investment forum.

Turning to China's development, Putin said that the country is growing economically, and this is a natural process that shouldn't be contained.

Putin said that restrictions and sanctions imposed against China in this context are "unjustified "and contradict the norms of international law.

Asked about China's military potential, Putin said China has the right to defend itself. Moscow does not see this as a threat, he said, adding that relations between the two countries are a significant factor contributing to global stability.

"We are satisfied with the level of our relations. We think that they can become even deeper, more meaningful and lead to a positive effect, both for the people of China and for the people of Russia," Putin said.

On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Beijing appreciates highly the comments by Putin, adding that any attempt to sow discord between the two neighbors will be futile.

The theories of "China threat "and "Russia threat" are just excuses of the United States to maintain its hegemony and counter the trend of multipolarization of the world, Wang told a daily news conference.

The strategic coordination between Beijing and Moscow at a high level is a powerful safeguard of world peace and stability, and will not change due to any outside influence, Wang said.

"It's the US who needs to change. If it does not abandon its cold-war mentality and hegemonic mindset, it will view anyone else as a threat," he said.

At the forum, Putin said the AUKUS military alliance－established by Australia, the US and the United Kingdom－is fueling regional tensions.

Russia and China have said that if the trilateral cooperation for the construction of nuclear-powered submarines proceeds, Australia will obtain a large amount of weapon-grade nuclear materials, which will seriously impact the international nuclear nonproliferation system.

'Strong response'

Putin warned the NATO alliance against deploying troops and weapons to Ukraine, saying such a move would represent a red line for Russia and trigger a strong response.

Commenting at the forum on Western concerns about Russia's alleged intention to invade Ukraine, he said that Moscow is equally worried about NATO drills near Russia's borders.

He said that NATO's eastward expansion has threatened Russia's core security interests. He expressed concern that the trans-Atlantic alliance could eventually use Ukrainian territory to deploy missiles capable of reaching Moscow in just five minutes.

"The emergence of such threats represents a red line for us," Putin said. "I hope that it will not get to that and that common sense" will eventually prevail.

He added that he hoped Western leaders would act responsibly for the welfare of their own countries and of the global community.

Russia has been forced to counter the growing threats by developing hypersonic weapons, Putin said.

He said a hypersonic missile that is set to enter service with the Russian navy early next year would be capable of reaching targets in comparable time to the potential missile threats facing Russia. "It would also need just five minutes to reach those who issue orders," Putin said.

The Russian leader further underscored Russia's concerns about the NATO drills near its borders, pointing to a recent exercise that involved US strategic bombers.

"Strategic bombers, which carry precision weapons and are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, were flying as close as 20 kilometers to our border," Putin said. "That represents a threat for us."

The Crimean Peninsula was incorporated into Russia in March 2014, following a popular referendum, which Kiev and the West never recognized. The US imposed sanctions in response to Russia's move, and additional measures have since been applied.

This year, a spike in cease-fire violations in eastern Ukraine and a Russian troop concentration near the border fueled fears of a broader conflict, but tensions abated when Moscow pulled back the bulk of its forces after maneuvers in April.

Putin argued that to avoid tensions, Russia and the West should negotiate agreements that safeguard each party's security interests.

Xinhua - Agencies - China Daily