China and Russia have called on Asian and Pacific countries to step up efforts to maintain regional security and stability amid mounting threats and challenges in the Asia-Pacific region.
China and Russia made the call in a joint statement released on Tuesday to comprehensively deepen their strategic partnership of coordination. It was signed by Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev after their talks in Beijing on Monday.
In the statement, China and Russia decided to promote a new security concept based on mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation.
The statement said both sides committed to an open, transparent and equal framework for security and cooperation in the region, which shall be based on international laws and non-alliance principles, taking into account all sides' legitimate rights and interests.
It emphasized the importance of cooperation, giving up confrontation and never targeting a third country.
China and Russia called on all nations in the region to follow fundamental international rules while developing bilateral and multilateral security cooperation, the statement said.
According to the statement, the rules include: respecting each other's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and no interference in another country's internal affairs; adhering to equal and non-separable security principles; adhering to national defense policies that are defensive in nature.
It also reiterated principles such as no use or threat of force; no attempt or support of any actions to topple other governments or undermine another states' stability; diplomatic and peaceful resolution of disputes based on mutual understanding and compromise.
Both countries called for more cooperation in addressing non-traditional security threats, military cooperation that does not target a third country, and increased personnel exchanges on border regions.
China and Russia would continue to work constructively on the Iranian nuclear issue within a bilateral and multilateral framework and solve the problem through political and diplomatic means, the statement said.
Both sides stressed that a comprehensive, long-term solution is needed to restore the international community's confidence on Iran's peaceful use of nuclear energy.
The two sides called for effective measures to restart the nuclear talks between the six-nation group (including the United Nations Security Council's five permanent members plus Germany) at an early date, the statement said.
The two sides also expressed concern about the Korean Peninsula situation, suggesting involved parties to improve relations through dialogue and engagement while enhancing understanding and trust.
The six-party talks should be resumed at an early date and the September19 Joint Statement should be comprehensively implemented, the statement said.
The six-party talks involve China, the United States, the Republic of Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Japan and Russia. The talks were launched in 2003, but stalled in April 2009.