Putin slams US boycott of Beijing Olympics, calls it 'attempt to curb China's growth'

Lambasting the US for its diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that the American move is a “mistake” and an “unacceptable” decision. While speaking at the annual conference, Putin stressed that he has always been against the politicisation of sports and noted that the US boycott of the Beijing Winter Games is aimed to curb China’s development. 

“This decision is unacceptable and erroneous. I spoke with a former US president, and he told me that the boycotts of the Olympics in Los Angeles and Moscow were a big mistake, made by the United States as well. But the United States continues to do the very same mistake. What caused that exactly? It is an attempt to curb China's growth", Putin stated.

"They cannot hold back the development of China. The Chinese economy is already larger than the US economy in terms of purchasing power parity. China will inevitably become the world's top economy in all other respects. But you have to understand this", he added.

Russia, China 'jointly making high-tech weapons'

Putin, who significantly touted Russia’s relations with China at the annual conference on Thursday, had also said that both sides are “jointly making high-tech weapons”. Putin said Russia and China are jointly working to develop state-of-the-art weapons. Touting the relationship between both the countries, Putin said that the strategic ties are a “stabilising factor on the global stage".

“The Chinese Army is largely equipped with the most advanced weapons systems. We even develop individual high-tech weapons [such as aircraft and helicopters] together", Putin stressed, citing that both countries are even collaborating in the space and aviation sectors.

He further said that Russia and China also “develop cooperation between the armed forces", which includes "joint military exercises" and "participation in international war games" as well as "joint patrolling at sea and in the air". Separately, the Russian President even touted his relations with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as a “very trustful personal relationship” that also “helps in business”. 

(IMAGE: AP)