China, Russia to strengthen cooperation to safeguard authority of international law

China and Russia vowed to strengthen cooperation to safeguard the authority of international law, according to a joint statement released on Thursday.

The two countries pledged to firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations (UN) at its core and the international order underpinned by international law and defend the central role of the UN in international affairs.

The codification and progressive development of international law must take into account the reality of the UN-led multipolar world. China and Russia support the broadest possible participation of all countries in UN treaties and their uniform interpretation and application, said the joint statement.

The two countries reiterated their full commitment to the UN Charter, the 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in Accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, and the integral and interdependent nature of the fundamental principles of international law explicit in the declaration.

The principles of international law are the cornerstone for a multipolar world system, just and equitable international relations featuring win-win cooperation, the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and establishing a common space of equal and indivisible security and economic cooperation, the statement said.

The two countries reaffirmed that states must not violate the principle of the UN Charter that prohibits the threat or use of force and accordingly condemn unilateral military intervention that is not based on individual or collective self-defense or not carried out by resolutions adopted by the Security Council under Chapter VII of the Charter.

In the statement, both sides jointly expressed belief that all countries have the right to independently choose their development models and political, economic, cultural and social systems based on their national conditions and the will of their people. No country's development model should be regarded as special or superior to others, it said. The two countries condemned the acts of interfering in the internal affairs of another country to forcibly change its legitimate government, reiterating peaceful settlement of disputes.

China and Russia also expressed strong opposition to unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. They oppose and condemn unilateral sanctions that violate international law, especially those sanctions that violate the principles of sovereign equality, state immunity and non-interference in the internal affairs of states and are not authorized by the Security Council, as well as drawing lines along ideological differences, the statement noted, adding that the two sides emphasize that states have the right to carry out normal economic and trade cooperation.

China and Russia oppose the practice of double standards or the imposition by some states of their will on other states and reject any attempt to undermine, in the name of "rule of law" or "rules-based order," other countries' legitimate rights and interests as well as peace and stability, the statement noted. The adoption of unilateral compulsory measures by some countries aside from measures adopted by the UN Security Council would obstruct the objects and purposes of measures imposed by the Security Council and undermine their integrity and effectiveness, the statement read.

Both countries agreed that domestic and multilateral criminal justice mechanisms must not be abused out of narrow political purposes to undermine international relations and the rights enjoyed by states under international law.

China and Russia also called for concerted efforts to strengthen arms control and disarmament, prevent the placement of weapons in outer space and address global challenges like climate change, plastic pollution and communication technology crimes.