BEIJING, February 4. /TASS/. Russia and China call on the United States to abandon its plans to deploy ground-based intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe, as follows from a joint statement of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on international relations entering a new era and global sustainable development, adopted at a meeting in the Chinese capital on Friday.

"The sides call on the United States to respond positively to the Russian initiative and abandon its plans to deploy intermediate-range and shorter-range ground-based missiles in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe. The sides will continue to maintain contacts and strengthen coordination on this issue," the statement reads.

The United States suspended its commitments under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty on February 2, 2019, citing Russia’s alleged violation of the pact. Washington put forward these accusations in July 2014, for the first time. According to the US administration, Russia violated the terms of the INF treaty by creating the 9M729 missile. Moscow dismissed these accusations and laid counter-claims, pointing, in particular, to US missile defense system elements being deployed in Europe. The INF Treaty ceased to exist in August 2019.

In September 2019, Putin sent a proposal to several countries, including NATO member states, to introduce a moratorium on the deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles in Europe and other regions. The US effectively rejected this initiative.