putin xi sco 2022
Neither Moscow nor Beijing are seeking to rule the world - unlike some other countries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

"In implementing their bilateral relations, Russia and China do not lay claim to ruling the whole world," he told Russia's Rossiya 1 channel on Sunday. However, "we know that some other countries have this tendency," he added.

Moscow and Beijing also have "absolute similarity" in their views regarding "all sorts of provocative actions" by the US, according to President Vladimir Putin's spokesperson. He added that both countries consider Washington's "destabilizing behavior" to be "unacceptable."

The remark comes shortly after Putin met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Uzbekistan's Samarkand as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit last week.

The Russian head of state said Moscow "highly appreciates China's balanced position on the Ukraine crisis," adding that the Kremlin "understands China's concerns."

President Xi, in turn, thanked Moscow for its stance on the issue of Taiwan - an apparent reference to Russia's condemnation of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island last month.

Unlike most Western countries, China has not imposed sanctions on Russia in response to its military operation in Ukraine, maintaining a good rapport with the Kremlin.