NATO has accused China of playing a key role in Russia’s war in Ukraine and has expressed concern about China’s nuclear and space capabilities.
China has warned NATO “not to provoke conflict” over its ties with Russia after the Western military alliance accused Beijing of being a “decisive supporter” of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Thursday’s warning came as NATO leaders meeting in Washington DC pledged to bolster the defense of Ukraine and Europe against Russia and made clear that China was also becoming a focus for the alliance.
A spokesman for the European Union delegation in Beijing said NATO should “stop stoking the so-called China threat and stoking conflict and competition, and contribute more to world peace and stability.”
China, which has deepening strategic ties with Russia, has refused to condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. China has stated it is neutral in the war and says it has not sent lethal aid to either side, unlike the United States and other Western countries.
But trade has boomed since the conflict began, with Beijing providing a vital lifeline to Russia’s isolated economy.
In a final statement on Wednesday, NATO’s 32 member states expressed “deep concern” about Beijing’s deepening partnership with Moscow. They said China “has become a crucial supporter of Russia’s war against Ukraine through its so-called ‘unrestricted’ partnership and its massive support for Russia’s defence industrial base.”
“This increases the threat Russia poses to its neighbors and Euro-Atlantic security,” they said, and called on China to “end all material and political support for Russian wartime activities.” “Beijing cannot enable the largest European war in recent history without adversely affecting its own interests and reputation,” they added.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that China was providing Russia with equipment, microelectronics and tools that would enable it to “build missiles, bombs, aircraft and weapons to be used in attacking Ukraine.”
He said this was the first time that all NATO member states had made this so clear in an agreement document.
But a Beijing spokesman rejected the criticism, saying: “As we all know, China did not cause the Ukraine crisis.”
“The declaration from the NATO summit in Washington is full of Cold War mentality and bellicose rhetoric, and the China-related content is full of provocations, lies, incitement and slander,” the official told reporters.
They added that China’s basic position is “to promote peace negotiations and a political settlement,” a reference to a 12-point peace plan published by Beijing more than a year ago that sets out general principles for ending the war.
The plan was not met with a positive response in Russia and Ukraine at the time.
In this year’s declaration, NATO allies reiterated that China poses “systemic challenges” to Euro-Atlantic security, including through continued malicious online and hybrid activities, such as disinformation campaigns.
They also expressed concern over China’s space capabilities and activities, warning that Beijing is rapidly expanding and diversifying its nuclear arsenal with an increasing number of nuclear warheads and sophisticated delivery systems.
Rachel Rizzo, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center, said NATO sees China as a challenge, not a threat.
NATO has made it clear that “the alliance talking about China is not about pushing the alliance further into the Indo-Pacific, but about responding to China’s political and economic advance, its technological advance into Europe, and its takeover of European infrastructure,” Rizzo told Al Jazeera. “So it’s not about expanding NATO’s area of operations, but about responding to this very complex geography that we see around the world right now.”
The summit was attended by leaders and representatives from NATO’s Asia-Pacific member nations of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, which have strengthened ties with NATO in recent years amid growing concern over China’s assertiveness in the South and East China seas.
The final declaration said NATO allies acknowledged the importance of Asia-Pacific countries to the alliance and were “strengthening their dialogue to address regional challenges.”
NATO and Asia-Pacific nations said they would launch four projects to support Ukraine, strengthen cyber defence cooperation, counter disinformation and work on artificial intelligence.
NATO allies said the projects would “enhance our ability to cooperate on our common security interests.”
