Russia and China presented a common front against US plans for a missile defense shield on Monday as Presidents Jiang Zemin and Vladimir Putin signed the first friendship treaty between the two giant neighbors for half a century.
In the gilded splendor of the Kremlin, the two leaders inked a statement reaffirming Moscow and Beijing's staunch opposition to the US plan to build a system against missile attacks from so-called "rogue states" such as Iraq or North Korea.
The summit talks between Jiang and Putin, which followed a successful weekend test of the US anti-missile system condemned in both capitals, also produced a new 20-year treaty between the two nations.
"In our opinion this agreement opens up a new level of cooperation between our two countries," Putin told journalists after the talks, referring to the bilateral treaty.
"Of course this agreement most of all touches our two nations, but we presume this document will form the basis for stability in international relations as a whole," he added.
The broad Good Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, replacing an outdated 1950 version that failed to prevent a 1969 border war, commits China and Russia to "mutual efforts to support global strategic balance and stability."
But the treaty underlined that military and military technical cooperation will not be directed "against any third state," according to text released to journalists.
In their joint statement the two leaders underlined that the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty which bars the US anti-missile plans was a "cornerstone of strategic stability, and the "foundation for the reduction of strategic offensive weapons."
They added that it was essential to prevent an arms race developing in space. The US missile shield would use land-based interceptors to destroy incoming warheads while still in space.
Both countries, fierce opponents of the US missile defense project championed by US President George W. Bush, condemned the weekend test of the US defense system over the Pacific Ocean.
Moscow on Sunday denounced the US test, demanding to know "why should we lead things to a point where we threaten the whole architecture in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, at the heart of which lies the 1972 ABM agreement."
And China's foreign ministry on Monday also issued a critical response, although in a sign of continuing differences with Moscow, used more moderate language.
"It is not favorable to global strategic balance and stability," a foreign ministry spokesman told AFP.
"We urge the US side to fully consider the opinions and concerns of other countries and adopt prudent measures on this issue," he said.
Many observers here say that a joint response by China and Russia will not be easy to come by, as splits between Moscow and Beijing on key issues have emerged.
Putin emerged from a Shanghai summit in June without securing unqualified support for the 1972 ABM treaty.
Instantly, many saw this as a vital sign that China was upset with Russia's proposal to help build – MOSCOW (AFP)
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