Russia and China on Wednesday issued a joint statement condemning President Trump’s plan for a “Golden Dome” missile defense shield for the US as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in Beijing.
According to The South China Morning Post, the two countries said the project poses “a clear threat to strategic stability” and that the implementation of the Golden Dome would have “serious negative consequences for international security.”
When Trump first announced plans for the Golden Dome, Russian officials made clear that it could spark a new arms race. The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that the project could cost US taxpayers $1.2 trillion, dramatically more than the White House has requested.
The joint Russian and Chinese statement also condemned the US for pursuing an “irresponsible policy” regarding the New START treaty, the last nuclear arms control treaty between Washington and Moscow, which expired earlier this year. The US rejected a Russian offer to extend New START for one more year while the two sides negotiated a replacement.
The statement accused “some nuclear-weapon states” of attempting to deploy weapons and infrastructure near other nuclear-armed states, likely a reference to US actions in recent years, including the deployment of a new Typhon missile system in the Philippines and Japan. The US recently fired a Tomahawk missile from its Typhon in the Philippines, a move seen as a major provocation aimed at Beijing since a Tomahawk can reach mainland China from Philippine territory.
Putin’s visit to Beijing came just days after Trump was in the Chinese capital. Putin and Xi agreed to increase military cooperation and trade as the two countries continue to deepen ties, a result of both nations being targeted by US sanctions and other forms of pressure in recent years.
“We have signed a joint Chinese-Russian statement on strengthening our comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction and on deepening our relations of good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation,” Xi told reporters after talks with Putin.
