BEIJING (AP) xe2x80x94 The leaders of Russia and China pushed back against U.S. pressure on Friday, declaring their opposition to any expansion of NATO and affirming that the island of Taiwan is a part of China, as they met hours before the Winter Olympics kicked off in Beijing.

Russiaxe2x80x99s Vladimir Putin and Chinaxe2x80x99s Xi Jinping issued a joint statement highlighting what they called xe2x80x9cinterference in the internal affairsxe2x80x9d of other states, as both leaders face criticism from Washington over their foreign and domestic policies.

xe2x80x9cSome forces representing a minority on the world stage continue to advocate unilateral approaches to resolving international problems and resort to military policy,xe2x80x9d it read, in a thinly veiled reference to the U.S. and its allies.

The two leaders are looking to project themselves as a counterweight to the U.S.-led bloc, as China shows growing support for Moscow in its dispute with Ukraine that threatens to break out into armed conflict.

China and Russia are committed to xe2x80x9cdeepening back-to-back strategic cooperation,xe2x80x9d Xi was quoted as telling Putin.

xe2x80x9cThis is a strategic decision that has far-reaching influence on China, Russia and the world,xe2x80x9d Xi said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Faced with a xe2x80x9ccomplex and evolving international situation,xe2x80x9d the two sides xe2x80x9cstrongly support each otherxe2x80x9d in confronting what Xi called xe2x80x9cregional security threatsxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cinternational strategic stability,xe2x80x9d without directly naming the U.S.

Putin is the highest-profile guest at the Beijing Games following the decision by the U.S., Britain and others not to send officials in protest of Chinaxe2x80x99s human rights abuses and its treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.

Putin praised xe2x80x9cunprecedentedxe2x80x9d close relations with China, in his opening remarks to Xi carried by Russian television.

Relations xe2x80x9care developing in a progressive way with a spirit of friendship and strategic partnership,xe2x80x9d Putin said. xe2x80x9cThey have indeed become unprecedented.xe2x80x9d

Putin highlighted close economic ties, including a new contract to supply China with 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year from eastern Russian.

xe2x80x9cFor our meeting today, our oilmen have prepared very good new solutions for the supply of hydrocarbons to the Peoplexe2x80x99s Republic of China, and another step forward has been taken in the gas industry,xe2x80x9d Putin said.

Russia has long been a key supplier of oil, gas and coal for Chinaxe2x80x99s massive economy, now the worldxe2x80x99s second largest, along with food and other raw materials.

Chinaxe2x80x99s state-run news agency reported the two leaders met at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse Friday afternoon, but gave no details. They did not appear to shake hands when greeting each other due to COVID-19 precautions.

Putin also recalled his presence in Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the Chinese delegationxe2x80x99s attendance at Russiaxe2x80x99s 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, calling such exchanges xe2x80x9cto a certain extent a tradition.xe2x80x9d

Kevin Rudd, president of the Asia Society and former Australian prime minister, called Beijingxe2x80x99s backing of Moscow over NATO expansion xe2x80x9chighly significant.xe2x80x9d

xe2x80x9cIt puts at risk Chinaxe2x80x99s wider relationship with the Europeans,xe2x80x9d Rudd said. xe2x80x9cBut Xi believes he is now powerful enough and has sufficient economic leverage with Europe to get away with it. It also signifies that China now sees itself as a global, not just a regional, security actor.xe2x80x9d

The discussions mark the two leadersxe2x80x99 first in-person meeting since 2019 and come as China and Russia increasingly align their foreign policies bilaterally and in world bodies such as the United Nations, in opposition to the Western bloc and other major powers.

Speaking to reporters after the talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that Putin and Xi discussed xe2x80x9cthe tensions deliberately incited by the West around the Russian Federation and China.xe2x80x9d

Leaders of the five ex-Soviet Central Asian nations, which have close ties with both Russia and China, all followed Putinxe2x80x99s lead in attending the Olympics opening, along with other states that have political and economic interests with Beijing.

A buildup of more than 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine has fueled Western fears that Moscow is poised to invade its neighbor. Russia has denied planning an offensive but urged the U.S. and its allies to provide a binding pledge that NATO wonxe2x80x99t expand to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations or deploy weapons there, and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe xe2x80x94 demands firmly rejected by the West.

Putin and Xi accused NATO and the U.S.xe2x80x99s Indo-Pacific strategy of building closer military ties with other countries in Asia as destabilizing and threatening regional security.

xe2x80x9cThe parties oppose the further expansion of NATO, (and) call on the North Atlantic Alliance to abandon the ideological approaches of the Cold War,xe2x80x9d the joint statement said.

Speaking on MSNBCxe2x80x99s Morning Joe program, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg rejected the criticism and described NATOxe2x80x99s expansion to Central and Eastern Europe as a xe2x80x9ca great success storyxe2x80x9d that xe2x80x9chas helped to spread freedom and democracy across Europe.xe2x80x9d

xe2x80x9cThis is about respecting independent sovereign choices of independent nations, not returning to an age of spheres of influence where big powers decide what small neighbors can do or not do,xe2x80x9d Stoltenberg said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a call last week that Moscowxe2x80x99s security concerns need to be addressed, a statement that marked a notable policy shift for Beijing.

Some observers suggested that Beijing is closely watching how the U.S. and its allies act in the standoff over Ukraine as it ponders further strategy on Taiwan, arguing that indecision by Washington could encourage China to grow more assertive.

The U.S. is Taiwanxe2x80x99s main supplier of fighter aircraft and defensive arms and is legally bound to treat threats to the island democracy as matters of xe2x80x9cgrave concern.xe2x80x9d

The joint statement said that Russia reaffirms that Taiwan is an integral part of China and opposes Taiwanxe2x80x99s independence in any form. China claims the self-governing island as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary.

Economic and diplomatic cooperation has expanded into the military field in recent years, as Russia and China have held a series of joint war games, including naval drills and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. In August, Russian troops for the first time deployed to Chinese territory for joint maneuvers.

Putin has also noted that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive military technologies with China that helped significantly bolster its defense capability.

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Associated Press writers Lorne Cook in Brussels and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.