Neighbors Ally Against U.S. Project

BEIJING, May 23 -- China and Russia expressed clear-cut opposition Friday to U.S. plans for a worldwide missile defense system, saying the Bush administration's project undermines stability and nuclear nonproliferation efforts.

The criticism, in a communique issued after a visit to Beijing by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, illustrated the increasingly close strategic ties between Russia and China, neighboring giants that were adversaries for decades.

"Both sides believe that the creation of global defense systems and their deployment in some regions of the world . . . do not help maintain strategic balance and stability, and hamper international efforts in arms control and nuclear nonproliferation," the communique said.

The State Department and White House noted that both nations had voiced similar objections before. White House spokesman Tony Fratto said the United States would continue to work with Medvedev on the issue as it had worked with his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, who is now prime minister.

The joint communique was seen as a boost to Medvedev on his first trip abroad since taking over from Putin. During his one-day stay in Beijing, Medvedev and President Hu Jintao of China also signed a $1 billion deal for construction of a uranium enrichment plant and supply of uranium for China's fast-growing nuclear power industry.

As president, Putin opposed the Bush administration's plan to post elements of an antimissile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, saying the system could peer into Russia's airspace and be used against its missiles.

The Bush administration has said that the system would protect against what it calls "rogue nations" -- meaning adversaries such as Iran -- and repeatedly offered to cooperate with Russia in the deployments.