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WORLD WAR III Title: China And Russia Seal Power Pact CHINA and Russia vowed to step up joint military exercises yesterday, raising fears of a regional arms race after Washington declared the US Navy was bolstering its presence in the Asia-Pacific. The deal between the nuclear powers capped summit talks in Beijing for the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation. The grouping of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan also weighed into the international tensions over the Syrian uprising and Iran's nuclear program. The group said it opposed outside military intervention in the Middle East, a day after the Syrian opposition accused forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad of massacring 100 people. The SCO called for a "peaceful resolution of the Syrian problem through political dialogue", and said the use of force against Iran - an ally of Beijing and Moscow - was "unacceptable". The most influential people in Sport Iran is an observer nation at the SCO, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad featured prominently at the summit. However, the West believes Iran is trying to develop a nuclear bomb under cover of a civilian energy program. Chinese President Hu Jintao used the two-day summit to push for the SCO to take a bigger part in reconstructing Afghanistan. And Russian President Vladimir Putin was expected to hold talks in Shanghai overnight with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Mr Ahmadinejad. "The member states are for building an independent, neutral, peaceful and flourishing state in Afghanistan, free of terrorism and drug trafficking," the SCO declaration said yesterday. "They believe the national peace process in Afghanistan should be directed and led by the Afghans themselves." But the summit may in the long run be most remembered for strengthening China-Russia ties. In a meeting with Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping, who is expected to assume the leadership of the ruling Communist Party in October, Mr Putin said both sides had vowed to expand their military exchanges. Mr Xi then held a meeting with Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith, who was asked by the Vice-President - as well a range of senior Chinese officials - to explain why Canberra was strengthening its military ties with the US. Mr Putin welcomed the co-operation between Beijing and Moscow. "Recently joint navy exercises were held in the Yellow Sea, and they were the first of such exercises," he said. "We have agreed with Chairman Hu that we will continue such co-operation." The warming of Russia-China relations comes less than a week after the US announced more details of its "pivot" to Asia, with US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta saying it would base 60 per cent of its navy in the region by 2020, up from 50 per cent today. China is concerned that Washington is executing a strategy of containment, an accusation the US and Australia have denied. "It is impossible to contain a country of 1.3 billion people," Mr Smith said.
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#1. To: Brian S (#0)
But, but, but, Russia isn't Commie any more. Why would they do that?
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