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China-Russia ties: ‘no plans for military alliance’ to take on US
- China’s defence ministry says Beijing will chart its own course of non-alignment and non-confrontation
- Moscow has said it would not rule out a possible pact with its neighbour
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China has no plans to forge a military alliance with Russia, the defence ministry said on Monday, responding to speculation that Beijing and Moscow could develop a united front against Nato.
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“China-Russia military relations are ... an important supporting force in strategic cooperation between the two countries,” the ministry said.
“The two sides adhere to the principle of non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third countries, which differs completely from the military alliance between some countries.”
The statement comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin said in October that Moscow would not “rule out” a possible alliance with China.
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It was the first time a Russian leader had made such a suggestion since the pact between the two countries collapsed in acrimony in the 1960s, and prompted suggestions that Russia might try to establish a military alliance with China to counter the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato).
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