China-Russia Border Pact Approved
China, Russia and three Central Asian nations pledged Thursday to reduce the number of troops along a 4,300-mile stretch of border, building a new peace in the East to counter NATO expansion in the West.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin said the accord--the result of seven years of negotiations--was a step toward a “security model that differs from the Cold War mentality.”
The agreement reflects steadily improving relations between Russia and China, Communist rivals for three decades after relations soured in the late 1950s. It also demonstrates strengthening solidarity against growing Western influence--in particular, NATO’s movement into Eastern Europe.
Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin, who repeatedly has said that NATO expansion on Russia’s western flank would lead him to look east, called the border agreement “a breakthrough for the Asian-Pacific region.”
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan also signed the accord, which sets ceilings on the number of troops and the amount of military equipment the countries can have within a 62-mile zone on either side of the border. Details were not released.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
