Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on International Relations and Global Sustainable Development in the New Era

BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on International Relations and Global Sustainable Development in the New Era At the invitation of President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China, The President of the Russian Federation, V. V. V. Putin, visited China on February 4, 2022. The two heads of state held talks in Beijing and attended the opening ceremony of the 24th Winter Olympic Games. The People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as "the Two Sides") declare the following: At present, the world is experiencing major changes, and human society has entered a new era of great development and great changes. The multipolarization of the world, economic globalization, social informatization, and cultural diversification have continued to develop, the global governance system and the reform of the international order have continued to advance, the interconnection and interdependence of countries have been greatly deepened, the distribution of international forces has tended to be reconstructed, and the international community's call for peace and sustainable development has become stronger. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the world, the international and regional security situation is becoming increasingly complex, and the global threats and challenges are rising day by day. A small number of forces in the international community continue to stubbornly pursue unilateralism, resort to power politics, interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, harm the legitimate rights and interests of other countries, create contradictions, differences and confrontations, and hinder the development and progress of human society. The international community will never accept this. The two sides called on all countries to proceed from the common well-being of all mankind, strengthen dialogue, enhance mutual trust, build consensus, safeguard the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom for all mankind, respect the right of the people of all countries to independently choose the path of development and the sovereign security and development interests of all countries, safeguard the international system with the United Nations as the core and the international order based on international law, practice genuine multilateralism in which the United Nations and the United Nations Security Council play a core coordinating role, promote the democratization of international relations, and achieve world peace. Stability and sustainable development. The two sides unanimously held that democracy is a common value of all mankind, not the patent of a few countries, and that promoting and guaranteeing democracy is the common cause of the international community. The two sides believe that democracy is a way for citizens to participate in the management of their own affairs, aimed at improving people's livelihood and well-being, and realizing the people's mastery. Democracy should be the whole process and oriented to all the people, embodying the interests and will of all the people, protecting the rights of the people, meeting the needs of the people, and safeguarding the interests of the people. The practice of democratic institutions is not rigid and should take into account the socio-political systems and historical, traditional and cultural characteristics of different countries. Peoples have the right to choose the forms and modalities of democratic practice that are appropriate to their national circumstances. Whether a country is democratic or not can only be judged by the people of that country. The two sides pointed out that as a world power with a long historical and cultural tradition, China and Russia's profound democratic traditions are rooted in the millennium of development experience, widely supported by their own people, and embody the needs and interests of citizens. China and Russia have ensured that their people enjoy the right to participate in the management of state and social affairs through various channels and forms in accordance with the law. The peoples of the two countries have full self-confidence in the path and respect the democratic institutions and traditions of other countries. The two sides pointed out that democratic principles should be reflected not only in domestic governance but also at the global governance level. The attempts of individual countries to draw ideological lines, to force other countries to accept the "democratic standards" of these countries, and to monopolize the definition of democracy through cobbled together various small groups and "situational" alliances, are in fact a violation of democracy and a betrayal of the spirit of democracy and the values of true democracy. Such acts of seeking hegemonic status pose a serious threat to regional and global peace and stability and undermine the stability of the international order. The two sides firmly believe that the defense of democracy and human rights should not be used as a tool to exert pressure on other countries. The two sides oppose any country's abuse of democratic values, interference in the internal affairs of sovereign countries under the pretext of upholding democracy and human rights, and provoking world division and confrontation. The two sides called on the international community to respect the cultural and civilizational diversity of nations and the right of peoples of different countries to self-determination. The two sides are willing to work with all willing countries to promote genuine democracy. The two sides pointed out that the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have set lofty goals and laid down basic principles for the global cause of human rights, which all countries should follow and practice. At the same time, the national conditions of different countries and the differences in history, culture, social system, and level of economic and social development, we must adhere to the integration of the universality of human rights with the actual conditions of various countries, and protect human rights in accordance with their own national conditions and the needs of the people. The promotion and protection of human rights is the common cause of the international community, and all countries should attach equal importance to and systematically promote all kinds of human rights. International human rights cooperation should be discussed by all countries on the basis of dialogue on an equal footing, all countries should enjoy equal rights to development, and all countries should carry out human rights cooperation and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect, so as to strengthen the construction of the international human rights system. The two sides believe that peace, development and cooperation are the mainstream of today's international system. Development is the key to achieving the well-being of people. The continued spread of covid-19 poses a serious challenge to the global implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and it is essential to improve the global partnership for development and push global development to a new stage of balance, coordination and inclusiveness. The two sides will actively promote the docking and cooperation between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, and deepen pragmatic cooperation between China and the Eurasian Economic Union in various fields. Improve connectivity between the Asia-Pacific region and the Eurasian region. The two sides are willing to continue to promote the parallel and coordinated development of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Greater Eurasian Partnership, promote the development of regional organizations and the process of bilateral and multilateral economic integration, and benefit the people of all countries in Eurasia. The two sides agreed to further deepen practical cooperation on sustainable development in the Arctic. The two sides will strengthen cooperation in multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, promote the international community to place development in an important position in global macro-policy coordination, call on developed countries to earnestly fulfill their official development assistance obligations, provide more resources for developing countries, solve problems such as imbalances in development between and within countries, and promote global development and international development cooperation. The Russian side reiterated its willingness to continue to carry out relevant work on promoting the global development initiative proposed by China, including participating in the activities of the "Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative" of the United Nations platform. The two sides called on the international community to take poverty reduction, food security, anti-epidemic and vaccines, financing for development, climate change, green and sustainable development, industrialization, digital economy, and connectivity as key areas of cooperation, take pragmatic actions, and accelerate the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The two sides called on the international community to create an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for scientific and technological development, accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into real productive forces, and tap new momentum for economic growth. The two sides called on all countries to strengthen cooperation in the field of sustainable transport, actively carry out transport capacity building and knowledge exchange, including intelligent transportation, sustainable transport, and the development and operation of Arctic shipping routes, etc., to help the global recovery after the epidemic. The two sides have made important contributions to the strong measures taken to address climate change. The two sides jointly commemorated the 30th anniversary of the conclusion of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, reaffirmed their commitment to the objectives, principles and provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement, in particular the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and worked together to promote the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement. The two sides will fulfill their respective commitments and look forward to the effective implementation of the US$100 billion per year climate financial support for developing countries in developing countries. The two sides oppose the erection of new barriers to international trade on the pretext of addressing climate change. The two sides firmly promote international cooperation and exchanges on biodiversity, actively participate in the process of global biodiversity governance, and jointly promote the coordinated development of man and nature and green transformation, so as to contribute to global sustainable development. The Heads of State of China and Russia affirmed the fruitful bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the two sides in response to the global pandemic of COVID-19 and safeguarding the safety and health of the people of the two countries and the world. The two sides will continue to strengthen cooperation in the research and development and production of vaccines and covid-19 drugs, and deepen cooperation in the fields of public health and modern medicine. The two sides will strengthen the coordination and docking of epidemic prevention measures to provide a strong guarantee for the health, safety and orderly exchanges between the two countries. The two sides positively evaluated the work done by the relevant departments and localities of the two countries to ensure epidemic prevention and stable operation of ports in border areas, and will establish a joint prevention and control mechanism in border areas, coordinate and promote epidemic prevention and control, information sharing and infrastructure construction at border ports, and continuously improve the efficiency of customs clearance at ports. The two sides stressed that the traceability of the new crown virus is a scientific issue, which should be carried out based on a global perspective and by global scientists, and oppose the politicization of the traceability issue. The Russian side welcomes the joint traceability study between China and WHO and supports the China-WHO joint traceability study. The two sides called on the international community to jointly safeguard the scientific and serious nature of traceability research. The Russian side supports China's successful hosting of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The two sides spoke highly of the level of cooperation between the two countries in sports and the Olympic Games, and are willing to further promote the development of relevant cooperation. The two sides are deeply concerned about the severe challenges facing the international security situation and believe that the destiny of all peoples of all countries is shared, and no country can and should not achieve its own security at the expense of world security and the security of other countries. The international community should actively participate in global security governance and achieve common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. The two sides reaffirmed each other's firm support for each other's core interests, national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and opposed interference by external forces in the internal affairs of the two countries. The Russian side reaffirms its adherence to the one-China principle, recognizes that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and opposes any form of "Taiwan independence." China and Russia oppose external forces undermining the security and stability of the two countries' common peripheral areas, oppose interference by external forces in the internal affairs of sovereign countries under any pretext, and oppose "color revolutions." They will strengthen cooperation in the above-mentioned fields. The two sides condemn terrorism in all its forms, promote the establishment of a global counter-terrorism united front with the United Nations at the center of the international community, and strengthen policy coordination and constructive cooperation in the field of multilateral counter-terrorism. It opposes the politicization, instrumentalization and application of "double standards" on the issue of counter-terrorism, and condemns the use of terrorist and extremist organizations and interference in the internal affairs of other States in the name of combating international terrorism and extremism for geopolitical purposes. The two sides believe that individual countries, military-political alliances or allies seek unilateral military superiority, directly or indirectly, undermine the security of other countries through unfair competition and other means, intensify geopolitical competition, play up antagonism and confrontation, seriously undermine the international security order and undermine global strategic stability. The two sides oppose NATO's continued expansion and call on NATO to abandon the ideology of the Cold War period, respect the sovereignty, security, interests, diversity of civilizations, historical and cultural diversity of other countries, and view the peaceful development of other countries objectively and fairly. The two sides oppose the establishment of a closed alliance system and create camp confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region, and are highly vigilant against the negative impact of the "Indo-Pacific Strategy" pursued by the United States on peace and stability in the region. China and Russia have always been committed to building an equal, open, inclusive, and non-targeting security system in the Asia-Pacific region that is not aimed at third countries, and to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity. The two sides welcomed the issuance of the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States on the Prevention of Nuclear War and the Avoidance of Arms Race, and held that all nuclear-weapon States should abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game, reduce the role of nuclear weapons in national security policies, withdraw nuclear weapons deployed abroad, not allow the unlimited development of global anti-missile systems, and effectively reduce the risk of nuclear war and any military conflict between States with military nuclear forces. The two sides reaffirmed that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is the cornerstone of the international nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation regime, an important component part of the post-war international security system and an irreplaceable role in promoting world peace and development. The international community should advance the three pillars of the treaty in a balanced manner and jointly safeguard the authority, validity and universality of the treaty. (To be continued)