Russia recognises Taiwan as an inalienable part of China and rejects the island’s independence in any form, according to a joint Russian-Chinese declaration released on Friday.
“The Russian side reaffirms its support for the One-China principle, confirms that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and opposes any forms of independence of Taiwan,” the statement read.
The parties also reiterate their strong mutual support for the safeguarding of their key interests, including state sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as their opposition to foreign involvement in their domestic affairs.
In a lengthy joint statement, China blamed the US of inciting riots in Hong Kong and pushing Taiwanese independence, while Russia accused the US of destabilising Ukraine in the same way.
“Russia and China stand against attempts by external forces to undermine security and stability in their common adjacent regions,” according to the 5,300-word joint statement released by the Kremlin.
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It said both nations “intend to counter interference by outside forces in the internal affairs of sovereign countries under any pretext, oppose color revolutions and will increase cooperation in the aforementioned areas.”
China has said that the world should not be divided into the kind of power blocs that defined the era when the Soviet Union and United States were the two dominant superpowers.
Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing ahead of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
The Russian president praised the two countries’ ties, calling them “unprecedented in nature and an example of respectful cooperation.”
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Putin is on his first overseas trip of the year, despite rising tensions with the West over Ukraine.
In their first face-to-face meeting in nearly two years, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Chinese counterpart.
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President Xi, on the other hand, hasn’t left China since the coronavirus spread over the country in January 2020.
Later today, both leaders will attend the Olympic opening ceremony.
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(With inputs from agencies)
