Xi and Putin unite to criticize US, but fail to clinch big gas deal

BEIJING — China and Russia condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile defence shield plans and Washington's "irresponsible" nuclear policy at a summit on Wednesday, a week after President Xi Jinping hosted Trump in Beijing.

A joint statement issued after Xi's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin served to underline that, while the Chinese leader seeks stable and constructive relations with Trump, he differs fundamentally with him on key issues where China's position is closely aligned with Russia's.

The statement said Trump's plan for a ground- and space-based missile interceptor system threatened global strategic stability and criticised Washington for allowing a treaty restricting the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals to expire.

The treaty lapsed in February and Trump did not respond to Moscow's proposal to extend its missile and warhead limits by a year - something that some U.S. politicians argued would have hindered the U.S. from responding to a nuclear build-up by China.

Yet while speaking in unison on global security issues, the two leaders failed to rea