34. Deplores, nevertheless, the fact that Russia uses its veto in the UN Security Council (UNSC) to undermine the international community’s efforts to react effectively and promptly to humanitarian crises, such as the tragedy and spiralling violence in Syria; calls, therefore, on the VP/HR to put the EU's diplomatic weight and efforts into further engaging with Russia on such matters; welcomes Russia's mediation with regard to Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons, along with the proposal outlined by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urging Syria to relinquish control of its chemical arsenal, and Russia's offer to assist in such an operation; regrets the fact that such mediation did not come at an earlier stage, which would have avoided the loss of thousands of lives; 35. Remains concerned about Russia’s lack of commitment to the rule of law, pluralist democracy and human rights, as demonstrated by recent legislation that hinders the work of civil society organisations and targets minorities, including LGBT communities, as well as restricting the freedom of expression, the freedom of assembly and the freedom of association; emphasises that strengthening the rule of law in all areas of Russian public life, including the economy, would be a constructive response to the discontent expressed by many Russian citizens, and is essential in order to build a genuine, constructive partnership between the EU and Russia; stresses that a determined effort to tackle corruption is important to enhancing confidence in the EU-Russia economic relationship and that progress on the negotiations on visa facilitation – the preliminary stage of which was positive – should be dependent on progress in areas such as selective justice and free, fair and competitive elections; 36. Underlines the EU’s willingness to contribute to the Partnership for Modernisation and to any successor to the current partnership and cooperation agreement, provided that Russia makes progress in areas such as human rights, the rule of law and pluralist democracy (including free, fair and competitive elections); stresses also that the EU remains committed to building mutual trust and furthering political dialogue with Russia, including on matters of global importance such as the fight against terrorism, non-proliferation, organised crime and climate change; 37. Criticises Russia’s use, in violation of international norms (e.g. the Helsinki Accords), of the instruments of energy and trade policy to pressure countries in the European neighbourhood so as to compel them to join the Russia-led customs union instead of signing Association Agreements with the EU, thereby hindering their sovereign decisions; believes, furthermore, that the progressive integration of partner countries with the EU can be consistent with their pursuit of good-neighbourly relations with Russia; urges Russia to adopt a constructive position with regard to frozen conflicts; regrets the fact that the EU has not been more firmly involved in the resolution of these conflicts; warns Russia that using unresolved conflicts for political ends may trigger new hostilities and destabilise the whole region; China 38. Encourages the EU to further develop its comprehensive, strategic partnership with China, promoting both parties' global interests, joint projects based on geostrategic standards, and mutual respect; calls for the EU and its Member States to speak with one voice to the Chinese Government; calls, while welcoming the almost 60 active sectoral dialogues and the proposed negotiations on an investment treaty, for further sectoral dialogues to be developed, and for the speedy resolution of ongoing trade investigations; reiterates the need