By Anastasia Lyrchikova

MOSCOW, (Reuters) –Russia and China must reject Western interference and defend each other’s security interests. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met in a video chat on Wednesday.

Eight days after Putin had spoken to Joe Biden in the same format, their conversation highlighted how mutual hostility towards the West has brought Moscow and Beijing closer together.

“Currently, certain foreign forces acting under the guise democracy’ or ‘human rights’ are interfering into the internal affairs China/Russia, and brutally violating international law, recognized norms, and international relations,” China’s state-run Xinhua news Agency quoted Xi.

China and Russia need to intensify their cooperation in order to better protect the security interests of each other.

Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin aide, told reporters that Xi offered his support to Putin in order to secure binding security guarantees from the West for Russia. He said he was sensitive to Moscow’s concerns.

He stated that the two expressed their “negative views” on the formation of military alliances, such as AUKUS between Australia and Britain, and the United States, and Indo-Pacific “Quad”, which consists of Australia, India and Japan.

PRISE

It was clear that Russia and China have been relying on each other to provide mutual support during a difficult time for their relations with Western countries. China faces pressure regarding human rights, while Russia is being accused of threats towards Ukraine.

According to the Kremlin’s account, Putin informed Xi of his conversation in which Biden warned Russia about invading Ukraine – which Moscow has denied – and Putin demanded security guarantees.

Putin said to Xi, “A new model has been created for cooperation between our countries. This is based, among others, on such principles like non-interference and respect for each another’s interests.”

He expressed his excitement about meeting Xi in the Winter Olympics at Beijing in February – an occasion that last week the White House stated U.S. officials would boycott due to China’s “atrocities against Muslims” in the western part of Xinjiang.

Putin stated, “I want to point out that we always support one another on matters of international sport cooperation,”

Putin uses Russia’s friendship with China as a means of countering the U.S. and striking lucrative deals on energy. He and Xi have agreed to a twenty-year cooperation and friendship treaty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that bilateral trade rose by 31% over the first 11 months to $123 billion. Both countries aim to reach $200 billion within the next year.

With six companies committing to producing more than 150 millions doses of the vaccine, he said China is becoming an international center for Russia’s Sputnik Light and Sputnik Sputnik Sputnik-CoVID-19.