Russia and China have criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's plans for a new missile-defense shield, arguing it threatens strategic stability.
In a joint statement delivered during Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Beijing, the two countries also accused the U.S. of irresponsibility for failing to find a replacement for a key nuclear treaty.
Trump's so-called "Golden Dome" would expand ground-based defenses like interceptor missiles and command-and-control systems, while adding space-based elements such as satellite networks designed to track and potentially shoot down threats from orbit.
Russia and China said the project poses an obvious threat to strategic stability, as it aims to build an unlimited, multi-level, multi-sphere global missile defense system that contradicts the principle of interconnectedness between strategic offensive and defensive weapons.
The two countries also criticized the U.S. for allowing the 2010 New START nuclear arms reduction agreement to expire earlier this year without a replacement, calling it "irresponsible policy."
