China, Russia to enhance coordination to counter US 'double containment'

MOSCOW -- China and Russia will enhance coordination and cooperation to resolutely respond to the "double containment" policy pursued by the United States, the two sides said here Thursday.

They made the announcement in a joint statement on further deepening the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era that was signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Both sides firmly oppose the act of inciting other countries around the world to take hostile positions towards China and Russia and smear China-Russia collaboration, said the statement.

In the statement, both sides also expressed deep concern over the confrontational policies adopted by certain countries and their allies as well as the related remarks they made, calling for ending the acts of interfering in other countries' internal affairs, undermining the existing security architecture in various regions around the world, and artificially drawing lines among countries and advocating camp confrontation.

Both sides pointed out that the United States and its allies are attempting to advance NATO eastward into the Asia-Pacific region, creating a "small circle" in the region, and enticing countries in the region to implement their "Indo-Pacific Strategy," thereby undermining regional peace, stability and prosperity.

Both sides voiced opposition to the establishment of a "nuclear-sharing" military alliance against China and Russia, the arrangement of deploying nuclear weapon systems in the region under the pretext of strengthening "extended deterrence," and the deployment of global anti-missile systems and land-based medium-range missile systems that undermine strategic stability, according to the statement.