Putin briefs China on his pro-Western policies<\/p>\n
Richard Balmforth, Reuters, Beijing<\/p>\n
Russian President Vladimir Putin, seeking to justify his pro-
\nWestern policies to a Chinese audience, said on Tuesday it would
\nbe "absolutely counter-productive" to seek confrontation with the
\nUnited States.<\/p>\n
Speaking to students at Peking University at the end of a
\nvisit to China, Putin said the United States was "our biggest
\ntrade partner, our partner in the anti-terrorism coalition and
\nour joint action in this direction is quite effective".<\/p>\n
"Our views on key world questions do not always coincide," he
\nsaid, referring to Washington, as Chinese President Jiang Zemin
\nlistened from his seat nearby.<\/p>\n
But Putin immediately added: "We consider it absolutely
\ncounter-productive to lead relations into the field of
\nconfrontation."<\/p>\n
"On those questions where, in our opinion, our views do not
\ncoincide, we will of course defend our national interests." For
\nthe last few years, China and Russia have been trying to build a
\nnew strategic partnership based partly on opposition to U.S.
\ndominance of world affairs and to international humanitarian
\nintervention within another country's borders.<\/p>\n
But Russia has leaned towards a more pro-Western foreign
\npolicy, even engaging with NATO, since the Sept. 11, 2001,
\nattacks on the United States.<\/p>\n
Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush cemented a deepening
\nrelationship when they met at Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas in
\nNovember last year.<\/p>\n
China too has been warming up to Washington. In October, Jiang
\nwent to Crawford and China approached NATO to seek a strategic
\ndialog for the first time in the alliance's 53-year history.<\/p>\n
Putin reaffirmed that Russia remained opposed to the
\nenlargement of NATO decided at a summit in Prague last month.<\/p>\n
But he said Moscow was satisfied with the work accomplished in
\nthe NATO-Russia Council, which he said Russia had joined to
\ntackle common global security threats.<\/p>\n
"We react negatively (to NATO enlargement) because we do not
\nconsider that simply mechanical enlargement will strengthen
\ninternational security," he said.<\/p>\n
At the same time, he said, there was no need for Russia to set
\nup any buffer zone against the three ex-Soviet Baltic countries
\nwhich will be joining the alliance because they did not represent
\na "hostile environment" to Russia.<\/p>\n
Putin said new security threats had emerged in the form of
\ninternational terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass
\ndestruction, and political and religious extremism.<\/p>\n
"This was always there, but now this sickness has taken on a
\nglobal form throughout the world," he said.<\/p>\n
Beijing and Moscow have both backed Bush's war on terrorism,
\npartly in the hope of garnering support for their own campaigns
\nagainst Muslim separatists they consider terrorists.<\/p>\n
But both have strong reservations about possible U.S. plans
\nfor military action against Iraq and are keen to strengthen the
\nUnited Nations' role and fiercely oppose U.S. unilateralism.<\/p>\n
"Disregarding international agreements is absolutely
\ninadmissible, as is the practice of double standards and attempts
\nto try to solve disputes unilaterally," said Putin.<\/p>\n
"And here our external approaches and priorities coincide
\nabsolutely with those of China," he said. "We are not just
\nfriendly neighbors. We are equal and interested partners."<\/p>\n
Putin left China on Tuesday and headed for India where he is
\nto meet Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee during a
\nthree-day visit.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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