BEIJING (AP) — China on Thursday accused NATO of seeking its security at the expense of others and urged its allies not to bring the same “chaos” to Asia, a sign of Beijing’s resolve to oppose closer ties between NATO allies and Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
A statement from the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: NATO criticizes China “A decisive driving force” Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“NATO’s exaggeration of China’s responsibility in the Ukraine issue is unreasonable and malicious,” Lin Jian said at a regular press conference. He insisted that China takes a fair and objective stance on the Ukraine issue.
China has broken with the United States and European allies over the Ukraine war and has refused to condemn Russian aggression or even call it an act of aggression, in deference to Moscow. Trade between China and Russia has expanded since the invasion, at least partially offsetting the impact of Western sanctions.
NATO said in a statement at the summit in Washington that China “Unlimited Partnership” with Russia and massive support for Russia’s defense industrial base.
Lin said trade between China and Russia is legal, reasonable and based on World Trade Organization rules.
He said NATO’s “so-called security” comes at the expense of other countries’ security. China supports Russia’s argument that NATO’s expansion is a threat to Russia, and Russia’s attack on Ukraine has only strengthened the alliance, which has led to Sweden and Finland joining the alliance.
China has expressed concern about NATO’s new ties with countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea are all sending leaders or deputy leaders to this week’s NATO summit.
“China urges NATO to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and tarnishing China’s image, and not cause chaos in the Asia-Pacific region after causing chaos in Europe,” Lin said.
Chinese troops have been stationed in Belarus this week. Joint Drill The drills, held near the border with NATO member Poland, are Russia’s ally and the first to be held with Belarus, which is a one-party state. President Alexander LukashenkoThe government brutally suppressed Massive protests against his rule in 2020,
Lin said the joint drills were routine military operations that were not targeted at any particular country.
China is a key member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which includes powerful military elements including Russia, Central Asian states, India, and most recently Belarus.
This is seen as building a bulwark against Western influence in the region, but it is also creating tensions over growing Chinese influence in what Russia considers its political backyard, a region of former Soviet republics including Belarus.
Earlier this month, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping Meeting Putin, meeting with leaders and senior officials of the 10 SCO countries in Kazakhstan, renewed his demand for Ukrainian troops to withdraw from parts of the country occupied by Russia, a demand that Ukraine categorically rejected, along with a Chinese peace proposal that made no mention of returning any Ukrainian territory to the Kiev government.
Russia has become increasingly reliant on China as a buyer of oil and gas, which accounts for the bulk of its foreign trade, but China and Russia have closely aligned foreign policies to counter the West.
