Russia and China condemn U.S. missile shield plan

BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Russia on Friday condemned U.S. plans to set up a missile defense system that would include bases in eastern Europe viewed by Moscow as a threat.

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

"It harms the strengthening of trust between states and regional stability. In this respect (Russia and China) express their concern," it said.

The statement was signed in Beijing by Chinese President Hu Jintao and Dmitry Medvedev, visiting China on his first foreign trip since becoming Russian president this month.

Washington says its plans to deploy parts of its missile shield in eastern Europe are intended to counter any missile attack by "rogue" states such as Iran. But they have unnerved Moscow, which sees the project as a threat to its own security.

Washington played down the significance of Chinese-Russian joint statement on Friday.

"I think it's just a continuation of the kinds of concerns they've raised in the past," a State Department spokesman said.

He noted that U.S.-Russian talks on the missile shield would continue.

Moscow is also annoyed by what it sees as Western attempts to contain its diplomatic ambitions and keep Russian companies out of lucrative markets. It is keen to make China a potential ally against Western global influence.

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

HUMAN RIGHTS

Medvedev and Hu also found common ground on human rights. The United States has frequently criticized Russia and China for rights abuses.

"Both sides are concerned about the universal nature of the principle of respecting human rights, but believe that every state has a right to encourage and protect them based on its own specific features and characters," the statement said.

"On the issue of human rights ... (we should) oppose politicizing the issue and using double standards, and should oppose using human rights to interfere with other countries' affairs," it added.

China and Russia have frustrated Western moves to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions, using their permanent membership of the U.N. Security Council to water down sanctions. Both are involved in multilateral talks to rein in North Korea's nuclear program.

The two countries have also proposed a treaty to ban weapons in space, an idea rejected by Washington.

Moscow and Beijing are the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a regional grouping which includes Central Asian states and is seen in Moscow as an alternative to Western political influence.

But the new Russian president also has to address concerns at home about China's growing military and economic clout and its rivalry with Moscow in resource-rich Central Asia.

Medvedev arrived in China a day after visiting neighboring Kazakhstan, a country crucial to Moscow's aim of keeping Central Asia's gas out of Western hands and a rival supplier of China.

Earlier, Russia's nuclear chief said Moscow would build and supply a $1 billion uranium enrichment plant in China.

(Additional reporting by Ian Ransom; writing by Ben Blanchard; editing by Andrew Roche)