Now it’s official: The alliance of the Eastern superpowers against the US gives credibility to Putin’s chest beating, But it’s China who makes or breaks him!
Here’s the MSM story:
Russia and China have pledged to strengthen their bilateral military and political ties as part of a strategic cooperation that challenges U.S. interests, especially to Washington’s stance on Middle East allies Syria and Iran.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu met Tuesday with Air Force General Xu Qiliang, deputy vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, and other regional military officials as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the eastern city of Qingdao. As increasingly powerful Russia and China built up their clout on the world stage, they sought a more united front against the U.S., which frequently challenged their rise.
“Time changes everything,” Shoigu said, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. “But, fortunately, it does not change our relations both personally between us and between our states, and the very close, friendly relations of the heads of our states serve as a guarantee of this.”
Shoigu praised “the privileged character of intergovernmental ties” evidenced by numerous meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, both of whom secured enough national support to extend their terms last month. He said the two nations were continuing “their strategic course towards further boosting friendly and trustworthy ties in the defense sphere,” calling this relationship “an important factor for maintaining global and regional security.”
“In contemporary global politics, our countries are in similar positions,” he told Xu.
Shoigu also praised China’s position on Syria, where Syrian President Bashar al-Assad continued to battle the remnants of an uprising by rebel and jihadi groups. The 2011 rebellion was supported and sponsored by the West, Turkey and Gulf Arab states, but was deeply opposed by Assad allies Russia and Iran. When the West sought to condemn the Syrian government’s crackdown at the United Nations Security Council in the early years of the conflict, China joined Russia in vetoing resolutions targeting Assad.
As fundamentalist organizations such as the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) began to dominate the fight, the focus switched to defeating the jihadi forces and both the U.S. and Russia staged military interventions. ISIS has since lost at least 90 percent of its territory in both Iraq and Syria and the rivalry between the U.S. and Russia has again risen to the forefront of the issue.
The U.S. and its allies have accused Assad of using chemical weapons in rebel-held territory, and President Donald Trump has twice ordered missile strikes against Syrian government facilities. The U.K. and France joined in the latest and most intense round earlier this month, despite warnings not only from Russia and Iran, but China as well, all of whom doubt Assad’s role in alleged toxic gas attacks. China has also joined Russia, Iran and other countries in investing in the war-torn country’s reconstruction.
“I am grateful to you for the support you have provided to us at the United Nations Security Council meeting dedicated to the missile attack on Syria. It undoubtedly was a violation of all the international and humanitarian rules,” Shoigu added, describing the attack as “Western-style” in the way it occurred before an international inquiry could be conducted.
“I would also like to thank our friend China for supporting us on the Syria issue and condemning the irresponsible behavior of some Western countries that, under a false pretext, attacked a sovereign state,” he added.
(Newsweek via MSN)
https://a.msn.com/r/2/AAwjba6?m=en-nz
