China and Russia yesterday presented a united front against the US plan to build a national missile defence system (NMDS).
At the start of six-nation summit meeting in Shanghai, President Jiang Zemin of China called for a "constructive relationship" with Washington, despite China's opposition to the NMDS plan.
Mr Jiang met President Putin of Russia at the start of a meeting of the so-called "Shanghai Five", which now includes a new member, Uzbekistan.
The summit is aimed at combating Islamic militancy in Central Asia.
The Russian Foreign Minister, Mr Igor Ivanov, said the two leaders discussed the Russian leader's meeting with President Bush in Slovenia tomorrow.
Mr Ivanov said the Chinese side attached great importance to its relations with the US for international stability. "The Chinese leadership intends to pursue a constructive policy in its relations with Washington," he said.
Mr Jiang and Mr Putin did not talk about NMDS at length, said Mr Ivanov, as Russia and China held periodic consultations on strategic stability, missile defences and strategic weaponry. "Our views on this fully coincide with China," he added.
Mr Jiang's meeting with Mr Putin was the first of three planned for this year as Moscow and Beijing forge a new alliance based largely on fears of Islamic separatist unrest and on opposition to US policies.
Kremlin officials said on Wednesday that Mr Bush's NMDS plan posed a threat to global security, backing up China's frequent warnings that the plan could start a new global arms race.
Russia has proposed a system based on tactical missiles and open to all nations.
However, China is unlikely to support this for fear it could be used to protect Taiwan - the island it regards as a rebel province.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said in Beijing that any proposals would have to be studied. He stressed that China and Russia hold relatively the same position on the US plan to develop NMDS. "We take this stance in order to maintain world security and global strategic stability, and to promote continued disarmament and arms control to avoid a new arms race."