Putin: US stoking tensions in Asia which threaten Russia, China

The United States is fomenting tensions in Asia which threaten Russia and China, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

The Kremlin leader was speaking to reporters ahead of a summit of the BRICS countries next week hosted by Russia in the city of Kazan.

Putin is keen to build up BRICS - which has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates as well as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - as a powerful counterweight to the West in global politics and trade.

Putin: U.S. efforts to restrain China's development have backfired

The United States' efforts to restrain China's development have not worked and are backfiring, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, predicting that entire sectors of the U.S. economy could become uncompetitive.

Putin described China as Russia's strategic ally and said Washington was creating tensions in Asia by threatening Moscow and Beijing.