- NATO has accused China of enabling Russia’s war in Ukraine and called on it to end its support.
- China is said to have circumvented Western sanctions by supplying weapons parts to Russia.
- China has alleged that NATO has a “Cold War mentality” and “belligerent rhetoric.”
NATO on Wednesday accused China of “decisively encouraging Russia’s war in Ukraine” and demanded that it stop supporting Russian forces or face appropriate consequences.
The alliance’s Washington Summit Declaration, released before a White House dinner with the leaders, called on China to “cease all material and political support to the Russian war effort.”
The declaration, the first of its kind, said China had been Russia’s main supplier of weapons parts and defense equipment since the start of the war.
It also contained an implicit threat: “China cannot launch the largest European war in recent history without adversely affecting its interests and reputation,” the declaration said.
Natalie Savanadze, a senior fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, told The New York Times that she expected European countries would “start imposing sanctions on Chinese companies slowly, carefully weighing the consequences and potential backlash.”
She added that NATO’s warning “sends China a message that there will be a cost.”
The strongest rebuke ever
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg described the language as “the strongest message ever sent by a NATO ally regarding China’s involvement in Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.”
NATO and the United States believe China is supplying Russia with equipment such as chips and integrated circuits that can be used to make weapons, but they counter that China is not a party to the war in Ukraine and that trade between China and Russia should not be interfered with.
China denounced the accusations as “biased, slanderous and provocative”, adding that NATO has a “Cold War mentality” and “belligerent rhetoric”.
According to Reuters, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jin said at a press conference on Thursday that “NATO has exaggerated China’s responsibility” for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It doesn’t make sense and it’s malicious,” Lin said.
“We call on NATO to reflect on the root causes of the crisis and its response so far, and to take concrete steps to de-escalate the situation, rather than shifting blame.”
NATO’s changing stance
The declaration marks a significant shift in NATO’s stance toward China. As The New York Times reported, NATO has previously used inoffensive language when discussing issues and concerns about China. NATO first named China as a country of concern in 2019.
European countries have historically been hesitant to take on Beijing, known for its distribution of luxury goods and cars, according to the Times.
However, the language surrounding China has evolved in subtle ways.
Last week, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, a NATO member, said in an interview with Bloomberg that China has so much influence over Russia that it could effectively end the war.
“Russia is so dependent on China right now that I would argue that a phone call from President Xi Jinping would resolve this crisis,” Stabb said. “If he says, ‘It’s time to start peace talks,’ Russia will have no choice but to do so.”
“They will have no other choice,” he added.
According to The New York Times, Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, said NATO’s declaration showed that member states “now collectively understand the challenge.”
“Continued Chinese support will worsen relations across Europe, and the United States will continue to work with our European allies to impose sanctions on Chinese companies involved in this activity,” he added.
NATO, meanwhile, has committed to continuing to provide long-term security for Ukraine.
According to the declaration, NATO allies have provided Ukraine with a total of 40 billion euros ($43.4 billion) in military aid each year since the war began in February 2022. NATO said it aims to provide the same amount in 2024.
