China, Russia turn up the heat on US after Xi, Putin meet in Moscow

• China and Russia have voiced “serious concerns” about US nuclear weapons and bio-military activities, as the close strategic partners try to build a moral high ground in the narrative battle with the West.
• The United States’ bio-military activities, both at home and overseas, were damaging the security of the countries concerned, China and Russia said in a joint statement after presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin met in Moscow on 21 Mar.
• Expressing “serious concerns” about the security of relevant regions, the statement requested that the US clarify its position in this regard and refrain from actions that violate the Biological Weapons Convention.
• It also pressed the US and close Asian ally Japan to step up their efforts to destroy chemical weapons.
• The nuclear-armed neighbours also called on the world to “effectively reduce the risk of nuclear war”.
• While most of the criticism of and demands on the US were not new, the latest joint document might signal more intense efforts from Beijing to counter US pressure on issues ranging from investigating the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic to its refusal to condemn the invasion of Ukraine.

External Link : https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3214473/china-russia-turn-heat-us-after-xi-putin-meet-moscow