China meetings show world order 'in crosshairs' – Lithuanian foreign minister

VILNIUS – This week's meetings in China show that the international rules-based order is "in the crosshairs" and that the West must broaden its outreach instead of isolating itself in a "playground of best friends," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said on Thursday. 

"This is a strong declaration that the world order is being shaken, that the system based on international law, respect for human rights, sovereignty and territorial integrity is in the crosshairs," the minister told Ziniu Radijas.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stood alongside Xi Jinping at a massive parade in Beijing.

The Chinese president also hosted a series of diplomatic meetings this week and took part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the northern city of Tianjin – a forum China sees as an alternative to Western-led international cooperation.

Budrys said the leaders' statements at the meeting "are truly worrying."

"And those images, where once again we see the red carpet rolled out and Putin escorted with full honors to his limousine, strike us as dissonant, because we would like to see (...) Putin escorted not to a limousine but to The Hague tribunal for all the war crimes committed in Ukraine," he said.

The minister noted that as an autocratic bloc takes shape, the West needs "systematic work, not just declarations."

"We must plan ahead how we will defend those core principles, because behind the banners of peace, cooperation, coexistence and investment lies raw, brutal military force and the law of the stronger. We see how this plays out across many neighboring countries, whether around China (...) let alone Russia and others," he said.

Lithuania's top diplomat added that the West must expand its values globally, engage smaller states that see "the benefits of peaceful coexistence," and win them over.

"Operating within our familiar democratic circle, a playground with our closest friends, has long been insufficient," he said.

At the summit, Xi slammed what he called "bullying behavior" by certain countries, a veiled reference to the United States, while Putin defended Russia's offensive in Ukraine and blamed the West for triggering the conflict.

China has never denounced Russia's invasion or called for it to withdraw its troops. Many of Ukraine's allies believe that Beijing has provided support to Moscow.

Putin said ties between Beijing and Moscow were at an "unprecedented level."

Talks in Beijing come after last month's meeting in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and the Russian leader, which ended without a breakthrough.