China on Thursday came out swinging at NATO, accusing it of posing an “enormous danger to the world” after the alliance labeled Beijing a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The communiqué, approved by all 32 NATO member nations and released Wednesday, was the most strongly worded stance the alliance has taken against Beijing and its position backing Russia since the war began more than two years ago.
But Beijing did not take lightly being listed in the NATO document as a “large-scale support[er] for Russia’s defense industrial base.”
President Biden, left, and NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg participate in a meeting of the heads of state of the North Atlantic Council at the 2024 NATO Summit July 10, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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“Wherever NATO shows up, turmoil and chaos will follow,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in a briefing Thursday. “NATO’s so-called security is more often than not built on others’ insecurity, and a lot of its security anxieties are self-made.
“The ‘success’ and ‘strength’ boasted by NATO means enormous danger to the world,” he added, further accusing the alliance of creating “imaginary enemies.”
Words like scaremongering, belligerent, bias and provocative were also used by the spokesperson to describe the NATO communiqué.
China broke with the U.S. and Europe during that onslaught of the war when it refused to condemn Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and it has since backed Moscow by helping to offset Western sanctions through trade.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin several times since the war broke out to solidify their partnership against the West.
NATO listed China’s “no-limits partnership” with Russia as fueling Putin’s war efforts through “material and political support.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands after signing a Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era and a Joint Statement of the President of the People’s Republic of China and the President of the Russian Federation on Pre-2030 Development Plan on Priorities in China-Russia Economic Cooperation in Moscow, Russia, March 21, 2023. (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via Getty Images)
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“This includes the transfer of dual-use materials, such as weapons components, equipment, and raw materials that serve as inputs for Russia’s defense sector,” the NATO communiqué said. “The [People’s Republic of China] PRC cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation.”
The Chinese spokesperson in turn accused NATO of “fueling the flames” of war by aiding Ukraine and accused the alliance of disrupting “peace and stability” in not only Europe but in Asia by collaborating with the U.S. on its Indo-Pacific policies.
Leaders from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea all traveled to Washington, D.C., for the NATO summit to collaborate on security concerns outside of Europe, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, as relations with China escalate.
Despite China’s claims that NATO is attempting to “vilify China’s domestic and foreign policies,” Beijing on Tuesday launched military drills on the border of Poland with Belarus, which was used as a launch pad for the invasion of Ukraine and which has remained an ardent supporter of Russia.
Service members take part in joint military exercises of the armies of Belarus and China at an undisclosed location in Belarus in this handout picture released July 9, 2024. (Vayar military information agency/Belarusian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS )
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The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson claimed the exercises were “normal” military activities that do “not target any particular country.”
Though, the chief of the Belarusian special operations command, Major General Vadim Denisenko, said that “events taking place in the world are alarming” and called the security situation “uneasy.”
“Therefore, we are going to practice new forms and methods of performing tactical tasks,” he added, according to Reuters Monday.
