Anti Western Alliance Thickens As Putin And Xi Jinping Meet At Uzbekistan Summit

<h4>Anti Western Alliance Thickens As Putin And Xi Jinping Meet At Uzbekistan Summit<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a> <&sol;strong>reports that Russia&&num;8217&semi;s President Vladimir Putin told Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday that Moscow backs Beijing&&num;8217&semi;s &&num;8220&semi;One China&&num;8221&semi; policy&comma; opposes &&num;8220&semi;provocations&&num;8221&semi; by the United States in the Taiwan Strait&comma; and values China&&num;8217&semi;s &&num;8220&semi;balanced position&&num;8221&semi; on Ukraine&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;The two leaders were meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan&period; It was their first face-to-face meeting since Russia launched its &&num;8220&semi;special military operation&&num;8221&semi; in Ukraine in February&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;In televised opening remarks at the bilateral meeting&comma; Putin told Xi&colon; &&num;8220&semi;We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis&period; We understand your questions and concern about this&period; During today&&num;8217&semi;s meeting&comma; we will of course explain our position&period;&&num;8221&semi;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Russia has moved closer to China since sending its armed forces into <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;vanguardngr&period;com&sol;">Ukraine<&sol;a> in February&comma; a decision that triggered an unprecedented barrage of Western sanctions against Moscow&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Putin also threw his weight behind Beijing&&num;8217&semi;s key positions in the brief public statement&comma; aligning the two countries in what analysts see as a fledgling anti-U&period;S&period;&comma; anti-Western alliance&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Putin referred to Beijing&&num;8217&semi;s insistence that other countries do not recognise Taiwan&comma; a self-ruled island that Bejing claims as part of China&comma; as an independent country&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8220&semi;We intend to firmly adhere to the principle of &&num;8216&semi;<a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">One China&&num;8217&semi;<&sol;a>&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Putin said&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;He added that Russian &&num;8220&semi;condemns provocations by the United States and their satellites in the Taiwan Strait&&num;8221&semi;&comma; a possible reference to U&period;S&period; Navy warships sailing through international waters in the Taiwan Strait on Aug&period; 27&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;China has never ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>Source&colon; Reuters<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;