Vladimir Putin calls for closer Russia-China cooperation on military satellites and prospective weapons
- The Russian leader’s comments were made during a visit by General Zhang Youxia, China’s No 2 military official and vice-chair of the Central Military Commission
- Zhang earlier said relations between Moscow and Beijing are ‘at the highest level in the new epoch’ during a meeting with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu
Russian President Vladimir Putin told a senior Chinese military official Wednesday that Moscow and Beijing should expand their cooperation on military satellites and other prospective defence technologies – a statement that signalled increasingly close defence links between the allies.
Putin spoke in televised remarks at the start of his meeting with General Zhang Youxia, who is China’s second-ranking military official and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission. The Russian leader emphasised the importance of developing closer military links, noting that cooperation in hi-tech spheres now takes priority.
“I mean space, including high-orbit assets, and new prospective types of weapons that will ensure strategic security of both Russia and the People’s Republic of China,” Putin said without elaboration.
He emphasised that while “Russia and China aren’t building any military alliances based on Cold War patterns”, their cooperation is a “serious factor in stabilising the international situation”.
Putin has previously said that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive military technologies with China that helped significantly bolster its defence capability.
