----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2000 6:23 AM Subject: [STOPNATO] China and Russia take stance against USA STOP NATO: NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.COM Russia Says to Bolster Strategic Ties With China DUSHANBE, Jul 5, 2000 -- (Reuters) Russia said on Tuesday it was boosting efforts to carve out a strategic partnership with China amid concerns about how a proposed U.S. missile defense system could upset the global balance of power. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, in Tajikistan for a regional security summit to be attended by the leaders of China, Russia and four Central Asian states, told reporters Moscow and Beijing had a common position on Washington's plans. "We are preparing for the visit by Russia's president to China, and we have joint documents on the development of a strategic partnership in the 21st century," Ivanov said after a meeting of regional foreign ministers. "The process is not only continuing, but the practical content is increasing." Ivanov said Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet Chinese leader Jiang Zemin on Wednesday to discuss the partnership ahead of his visit to China on July 18-19. "Today the (key) question is without doubt...maintaining strategic stability and not violating the ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) treaty of 1972. Our position and the position of China are the same," said Ivanov. China and Russia say that the proposed U.S. system, aimed at blocking attacks by what Washington brands "rogue states", would undermine existing arms control agreements by violating the ABM treaty. U.S. President Bill Clinton has said he will decide later this year whether to go ahead with the $60 billion NMD system. The Pentagon has scheduled a crucial test of that system over the Pacific Ocean for July 7. SOME FEAR NEW ARMS RACE China has already said that if NMD is deployed, Beijing will be forced to build up its small nuclear arsenal to avoid its missiles being neutralized by a more comprehensive system. Defense analysts also warn that any Chinese build-up could prompt an arms race involving India and Pakistan. It would also undermine relations between Washington and Beijing and Moscow. Putin arrives on Wednesday in the Tajik capital Dushanbe for the fifth summit of the so-called Shanghai Five grouping China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The group was formed in 1996 to resolve border issues along the old Sino-Soviet frontier, but has since broadened its focus to regional security and the perceived threat of religious extremism, separatism and international terrorism. Uzbekistan joins the five states for the first time as an observer. Ivanov said a joint document being drawn up for the final signing ceremony between the five leaders would include a statement on their joint support for preserving the ABM treaty. "This is our common position," he said. Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan told a news conference that the Shanghai Five structure was unique and differed from international relations during the Cold War. "I am sure that the Shanghai Five mechanism...will play an active role in securing peace and stability in the region and the world as a whole," he said through an interpreter. (C)2000 Copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters Limited. ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb
