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Russia’s defence chief hails China ties as ‘exemplary’, warns Nato expansion risks clash between nuclear powers
- At the Xiangshan forum, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu says Beijing-Moscow relations growing in allure as a model for ‘like-minded’ countries
- He says Nato’s spread towards Asia-Pacific could bring military confrontation with ‘catastrophic consequences’
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The ties between Moscow and Beijing are increasingly attractive to a “circle of like-minded” countries, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said, warning that Nato’s expansion towards the Asia-Pacific increased the risk of a direct military clash between nuclear powers.
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Speaking at the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum on Monday, Shoigu said relations between Moscow and Beijing were an “exemplary” model that was becoming more attractive to other countries.
“The circle of our friends and like-minded people who do not want to be drawn into the confrontational agenda imposed by the collective West is invariably expanding,” Shoigu said at the three-day security conference in the Chinese capital.
He noted the Xiangshan forum had “convincingly established itself as an authoritative and sought-after discussion platform”, as had the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held earlier this month.
“In a friendly and constructive atmosphere, pressing issues of regional and global security and current areas of military cooperation are discussed here,” Shoigu said.
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“The heads of our states expressed their commitment to the full development of the Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction, including in the military and military-technical fields.”
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