by Moon of Alabama at Moon of Alabama
While the fireworks of the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony light up the sky over Beijing another firework comes in the form of a
by President Vladimir Putin of Russia and the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping.
It is a long political statement touching many issues and can be seen as a common program Russia and China want to pursue.
The joint statement’s introduction is followed by four parts covering democratic principals, global development cooperation between Russia and China, concerns about global governance issues and a reaffirmation of support for multipolar organizations.
It is altogether a well aimed shot against the United States which makes multiple appearances in the text without being named. The quotes below focus on those parts.
The intro:
The Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, hereinafter referred to as the sides, state as follows.Today, the world is going through momentous changes, and humanity is entering a new era of rapid development and profound transformation. It sees the development of such processes and phenomena as multipolarity, economic globalization, the advent of information society, cultural diversity, transformation of the global governance architecture and world order; there is increasing interrelation and interdependence between the States; a trend has emerged towards redistribution of power in the world; and the international community is showing a growing demand for the leadership aiming at peaceful and gradual development. At the same time, as the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection continues, the international and regional security situation is complicating and the number of global challenges and threats is growing from day to day. Some actors representing but the minority on the international scale continue to advocate unilateral approaches to addressing international issues and resort to force; they interfere in the internal affairs of other states, infringing their legitimate rights and interests, and incite contradictions, differences and confrontation, thus hampering the development and progress of mankind, against the opposition from the international community.
The sides call on all States to pursue well-being for all and, with these ends, to build dialogue and mutual trust, strengthen mutual understanding, champion such universal human values as peace, development, equality, justice, democracy and freedom, respect the rights of peoples to independently determine the development paths of their countries and the sovereignty and the security and development interests of States, to protect the United Nations-driven international architecture and the international law-based world order, seek genuine multipolarity with the United Nations and its Security Council playing a central and coordinating role, promote more democratic international relations, and ensure peace, stability and sustainable development across the world.
Part 1 declares that democracy is a universal human value but notes necessary differences in its implementation:
There is no one-size-fits-all template to guide countries in establishing democracy. A nation can choose such forms and methods of implementing democracy that would best suit its particular state, based on its social and political system, its historical background, traditions and unique cultural characteristics. It is only up to the people of the country to decide whether their State is a democratic one.
This followed by another appearance of the United States:…
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