Medvedev and Hu hit out at US missile plan

Medvedev and Hu hit out at US missile plan

By Neil Buckley in Moscow

Published: May 23 2008 19:16 | Last updated: May 23 2008 19:16

On his first foreign trip, Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s new president, joined Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in Beijing in condemning US plans for a missile defence shield, warning they could upset strategic stability.

The joint statement seemed to mark a determination by Mr Medvedev to maintain the assertive foreign policy pursued by his predecessor, Vladimir Putin.

Friday’s statement did not specifically identify the US, though the two countries have criticised Washington’s missile shield plans before. But the wording was stronger this time and the statement came during a visit by Mr Medvedev that had already been seen as a signal to the west that Russia had other partners it could work with.

“Both sides believe that creating a global missile defence system, including deploying such systems in certain regions of the world, or plans for such co-operation, do not help support strategic balance and stability, and harm international efforts to control arms and the non-proliferation process,” the statement said.

Mr Medvedev had travelled to China via the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, breaking with tradition by making his first visit as Kremlin leader to the east rather than the west. His two-day visit to Beijing follows a warming in relations between Russia and China during the eight-year presidency of Mr Putin – though the countries remain rivals in important areas.

“By visiting China on his first trip abroad since taking office, [Mr] Medvedev has shown that he attaches a high level of importance to the development of bilateral ties,” Mr Hu said.