Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Friday for Russia and other members of a pan-Asian group to support each other in preventing foreign powers from instigating “colour revolutions”.
The expression refers to popular uprisings inside countries that have shaken former Communist nations.
Speaking in Uzbekistan at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a security grouping led by China and Russia, Xi said member countries should support efforts that member states have made to safeguard their own security and development interests.
Xi did not mention Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February in what Russian President Vladimir calls a “special military operation” to protect Russian speakers from “genocide” by Ukraine’s government, a claim strongly rejected by Ukraine.
He also said that China will train 2,000 law enforcement personnel from member countries over the next five years and set up a training base focusing on anti-terrorism work.
He invited member countries to sign up to China’s Global Security Initiative, a concept he proposed in April which includes the idea that no country should strengthen its own security at the expense of others.
China will provide 1.5 billion yuan ($214 million) worth of grain and other emergency aid to developing countries, Xi said, adding that the Chinese economy is resilient and “full of potential”.
China’s economy narrowly escaped a contraction in the April-to-June quarter, hobbled by Covid-19 lockdowns of cities, a deepening downturn in the property market and persistently soft consumer spending.
- Reuters with additional editing by Jim Pollard
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