A US State Department spokesperson said Friday that continued cooperation between China and Russia will make the United States and other countries "less safe," "less secure" and "less prosperous" after the leaders of the two countries issued a joint statement defending North Korea.
On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin released the summit statement, in which they reportedly called on "relevant states to abandon the policy of unilateral coercive measures and military pressure" against North Korea.
"As President Trump has said, continued cooperation between these two nuclear powers will only further contribute to global instability and make the United States and other countries less safe, less secure and less prosperous," the spokesperson said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency.
The official also pointed out China's defense industrial support for Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
"China is a major enabler of Russia in the war in Ukraine," the official said. "China provides nearly 80 percent of the dual-use items Russia needs to sustain the war."
An official at Seoul's foreign ministry called the joint statement "regrettable."
