MOSCOW. March 21 (Interfax) - Russia and China, seeing the rise in the global potential for conflict, are against some states or blocs behaving to the detriment of third countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"Russia and China are strongly opposed to any state or bloc inflicting damage on the lawful interests of other countries with a view to gaining military, political and economic advantage," Putin said in a statement after talks with the Chinese president in Moscow on Tuesday.
The talks' attendees "noted the rise in tension in many world regions, an accumulation of the potential for conflict and crisis in global politics and economics," he said.
"We are seeing an expanding practice of applying illegitimate, politically-motivated sanctions and other restrictions, the use of other means of unfair competition in the economic struggle. It is as if the unshakeable principles of non-intervention in the internal affairs, countries' right to a sovereign development model, free trade, access to modern technology and even education - are being violated," Putin said.
At the same time, he noted that he and Xi recognized that both "Russia and China have overlapping or close views " on a majority of international problems.