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NATO leaders said Wednesday that China is a “decisive supporter” of Russia’s war in Ukraine, as NATO hardened its stance against Beijing and the “systemic challenge” it poses to their nations’ security.
The joint declaration marked the toughest stance yet on China’s role as NATO marks its 75th anniversary this week with a three-day summit in Washington hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden.
The NATO leaders’ statement said “unrestricted” cooperation between China and Russia and “massive support for Russia’s defence industrial base” were enabling Moscow to wage war, and called on Beijing to “end all material and political support to the Russian war effort”.
U.S. and European leaders have accused China in recent months of bolstering Russia’s defense sector with dual-use exports. China denies supplying weapons and says it maintains strict controls over such products.
NATO leaders also detailed their concerns about China’s expanding space capabilities and activities, reiterating previous fears about Beijing’s “malicious cyber and hybrid activities,” including disinformation, and its “rapidly” expanding nuclear arsenal.
“We remain open to constructive engagement with China, including through mutual transparency with a view to safeguarding our alliance security interests,” the statement said, referring to China by the initials of its official name.
“At the same time, we are enhancing our shared understanding, strengthening our resilience and preparedness, and defending against China’s coercive tactics and attempts to fragment our alliance.”
NATO leaders’ declaration on Wednesday comes as the 32-nation alliance, historically focused on the security of North America and Europe, has in recent years stepped up engagement with U.S. allies in Asia and increasingly linked NATO security to the region even as member states pursue different policies toward China.
The leaders of New Zealand, Japan and South Korea attended a NATO summit for the third consecutive year, a further sign of NATO’s closer ties with those countries and Australia.
Close ties between China and Russia
Beijing has deepened political, economic and military ties with Moscow since Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping declared an “unrestricted” partnership and shared opposition to what they called NATO expansion during a visit to the Chinese capital in February 2022, weeks before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
China has overtaken the European Union to become Russia’s largest trading partner, providing a vital lifeline to a Russian economy hit by severe sanctions after the invasion, while the two nuclear-armed neighbors continue to conduct joint military drills.
China has claimed neutrality in the war and sought to position itself as a potential peace broker, but U.S. and European leaders have grown wary of China, who they say is backing Moscow with economic and diplomatic assistance and dual-use supplies.
China on Thursday criticized NATO’s statement as “full of Cold War mentality and bellicose rhetoric” and called it “provocative with obvious lies and slander.”
“China did not cause the Ukraine crisis. China’s position towards Ukraine is open and fair. We aim to promote peace negotiations and seek a political solution,” the European Union delegation said in a statement.
The Chinese statement also reiterated Beijing’s position that the country has never provided lethal weapons in any conflict and strictly controls the export of dual-use weapons, and defended its trade with Russia as “normal”.
U.S. and European leaders have warned in recent months that such exports are fueling Russia’s defense sector and allowing the country to survive despite tough international sanctions. The United States says dual-use exports enable the production of tanks, weapons and armored vehicles, among other things.
Both the United States and the EU have imposed sanctions on Chinese entities they say support the war.
Late Thursday, China’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the declaration, with a spokesman describing NATO as a “major threat” to the world and repeating Beijing’s claims that NATO is “adding fuel to the fire” of the war in Ukraine.
The declaration by NATO leaders marks the latest step in NATO’s gradually tougher stance toward China in recent years.
NATO leaders first mentioned the need to jointly address the “opportunities and challenges” posed by China in their 2019 declaration, and later mentioned the “structural challenges” posed by China in 2021.
The shift comes in tandem with a growing focus in U.S. policy on the Indo-Pacific amid a deepening confrontation with Beijing as China, under Xi’s leadership, becomes increasingly aggressive in the region and in foreign policy generally.
NATO’s interest in Asia has also accelerated over the past two and a half years due to deepening geopolitical rifts following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Moscow’s closer ties not only with China but also with North Korea and Iran.
NATO leaders also said Wednesday that North Korea and Iran were “fueling” Russia’s war motives through “direct military support” and condemned North Korea’s export of “artillery shells and ballistic missiles” to Russia, a move several governments said they had been tracking since Putin hosted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Russia’s Far East last year.
“The Indo-Pacific region is important to NATO as developments in the region have a direct impact on Euro-Atlantic security,” the leaders said in the declaration.
“We are intensifying our dialogue to address regional challenges and strengthening practical cooperation, including through supporting Ukraine and major projects in the fields of cyber defense, countering disinformation and technology,” the statement said.
Beijing has watched NATO’s deepening engagement with other Asia-Pacific powers with caution, as China is widely expected to want to become the dominant power in the region and counter the U.S. presence there as the U.S. strengthens its longstanding security partnerships and interests in the Indo-Pacific.
China and Russia are also united in their shared opposition to NATO, part of a broader desire to reshape a world order that they see as unfairly dominated by the United States, and both blame the Western security alliance for provoking Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement on Thursday, the EU delegation in China called on NATO to “change its mistaken perception of China” and “abandon its Cold War mentality and zero-sum game.”
“The Asia-Pacific region is a place for peaceful development, not for geopolitical competition…NATO must not become a disruptor to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” the statement said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
