Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Friday to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and observe the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
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4 Feb 2022 - 19:00
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Friday to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and observe the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
"Today, the world is undergoing massive changes. Humanity is entering a new era of rapid development and large-scale transformations. Such processes and phenomena as multipolarity, economic globalisation, the informatisation of society, cultural diversity, the transformation of the system of global governance and the world order are developing, the interconnectedness and interdependence of states is increasing, a trend is being formed to redistribute the balance of world power. There is a growing demand from the world community for leadership in the interests of peaceful and sustainable development," the statement, signed by Putin and Xi and published on the Russian president's website on Friday, reads.
"At the same time, against the background of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the situation in the field of international and regional security is becoming more and more complicated every day, with global challenges and threats multiplying. Some forces representing a minority on the world stage continue to advocate for unilateral approaches to solving international problems and resort to the politics of force, engage in interference in the internal affairs of other states, cause damage to their legitimate rights and interests, provoke contradictions, disagreements and confrontation, and hinder the development and progress of mankind, creating opposition from the international community," it adds.
The two countries appeal to all nations, calling for the strengthening "of dialogue and mutual trust, a deepening of mutual understanding, the upholding of universal values such as peace, development, equality, justice, democracy and freedom, respect for the rights of peoples to independently choose the path of development of their countries, and the sovereignty and interests of states in the field of security and development."
The joint statement also calls on the international community to "protect" the international system in which the United Nations plays a central role, and calls for the creation of "true multilateralism" in the interests of the "democratisation of international relations, peace, stability and sustainable development."
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