Beijing (MidLand) – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Declaration produced in Washington DC is bad news for the Asia-Pacific region.
“The Washington NATO summit statement is frightening news for the Asia-Pacific; a product of the Cold War mentality and full of war rhetoric. Sentence after sentence about China contains a lot of prejudice, slander and provocation,” Lin Jian said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.
The NATO Summit takes place in the US capital, Washington DC, from Tuesday (9/7) to 11 July 2024.
On Wednesday (7/10), NATO issued a joint statement from the Washington summit, specifically calling on China to “cease all material and political support for the Russian war effort,” which supposedly includes “the transfer of dual-use material, such as weapons components, equipment and raw materials that serve as inputs to the Russian defense sector.”
The United States has long suspected that Chinese companies have provided military support to Russia, an accusation that has been denied by Beijing and Moscow.
“We deeply regret and firmly oppose this and have lodged a serious protest with NATO,” Lin Jian added.
Lin Jian said that one of the agendas of the NATO summit this time was to commemorate the 75th anniversary of NATO. Even before the summit began, the United States and NATO spoke of the “glory” and “solidarity” of the Alliance as a “peace organization.”
“But this does not hide the fact that NATO is a remnant of the Cold War and a product of confrontation and bloc politics. NATO troops bombed Yugoslavia for 78 days in the name of ‘preventing further humanitarian disasters.’ The tragedies in Afghanistan and Libya make it clear that wherever NATO appears, there will be unrest and chaos,” Lin Jian said.
Lin Jian pointed out that NATO’s so-called “security” is often built on the insecurities of other countries, and that most of its security concerns are caused by its own efforts.
“NATO’s vaunted ‘success’ and ‘strength’ pose a grave danger to the world. Creating imaginary enemies to justify its existence and acting outside the region is NATO’s signature tactic. Misrepresenting China as a ‘systemic challenge’ and demonizing China’s domestic and foreign policies are examples,” Lin Jian said.
Regarding Ukraine, Lin Jian said that NATO believes China is the responsible party.
“This is absurd. China’s goals and position towards Ukraine are correct. The constructive role we play is widely recognized by the international community. NATO has spread disinformation created by the United States and openly slandered China to weaken relations with Europe and hinder China-Europe cooperation,” Lin Jian explained.
Lin Jian said that if the crisis in Ukraine does not seem to be over so far, who is actually starting the fire and allowing the conflict?
“The international community is not blind. We urge NATO to reflect on the root causes of the crisis and NATO’s behavior, listen to the kind voice of the international community, and contribute to de-escalation, rather than blaming others,” Lin Jian stressed.
Lin Jian said that NATO’s reach into the Asia-Pacific, strengthening military and security ties with China’s neighbors and U.S. allies, and working with the United States to implement the Indo-Pacific strategy to harm China’s interests and disrupt peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific have been questioned and rejected by countries in the region.
“China urges NATO to abandon the Cold War mentality, stop confrontation and a zero-sum approach, form a correct perception of China, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop interfering in China-Europe relations,” Lin Jian said.
China has repeatedly made clear its stance of firmly opposing the spread of US disinformation about China’s so-called support for the Russian defense industry, which has no evidence to support it.
“Immediately after the Ukrainian crisis broke out, the United States falsely claimed that China was providing military support to Russia. To date, the United States has not provided any substantial evidence. Even US military commanders have admitted that China did not provide military assistance to Russia in the Ukrainian crisis,” Lin Jian explained.
Moreover, statistics show that more than 60% of military components and dual-use goods imported by Russia come from the United States and other Western countries, 95% of the major Russian components destroyed by Ukraine come from the West, and 72% of Western components are made in Russia.
“Their weapons come from US companies. How does the US explain this? Moreover, the US and its allies have not stopped trade with Russia. Last year, their trade with Russia reached more than 130 billion US dollars, or 18 percent of Russia’s foreign trade,” Lin Jian said.
Furthermore, most countries in the world have not implemented sanctions against Russia or stopped their trade with Russia.
“It is hypocritical and double-standard for the US to accuse China of carrying out normal trade and economic exchanges with Russia, while passing laws to provide massive aid to Ukraine. The US often claims to be a champion of justice, a defender of human rights and the world’s police, but what it has done is actually fanning the flames,” Lin Jian stressed.
Lin Jian reiterated that China was neither the architect of the Ukrainian crisis nor one of the parties involved.
Read also: NATO statement: Ukraine’s path to Alliance membership cannot be stopped
“We have been actively working to enable peace negotiations and a political solution. We have never tried to fan the flames, we have never taken advantage of the crisis, much less provided weapons to any of the parties in the conflict. This position is clear and consistent,” Lin Jian said.
NATO has discussed the possibility of providing guarantees it calls a “bridge” to Ukraine’s membership as leaders gather for the ongoing summit.
It says Kiev has made “concrete progress” on a series of democratic, political and military reforms needed for membership, and offers the most concrete language to date that Ukraine will eventually join the alliance despite Russian threats to enlargement.
NATO allies have pledged to provide more than $43 billion (Rs696 trillion) to Ukraine next year, as well as “providing continued security assistance so Ukraine can win.”
The alliance says Iran and North Korea are “fueling” Russia’s war effort by providing direct military support to Moscow that includes drones (drone) military and ammunition.
However, it singled out China, which the alliance says “has been a key backer of Russia’s war against Ukraine through its so-called ‘borderless’ partnership and large-scale support for Russia’s defense industrial base.”
Read also: NATO sends special message to China on cooperation with Russia
Reporter: Desk Lidya Natalia
Publisher: Rahmad Nasution
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