China hit back at what it said was misinformation that stoked confrontation after NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte sounded the alarm about Beijing’s “massive military build-up” and its support for Russia in the Ukraine war.
Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, accused Rutte of worsening global tensions with his remarks and vilifying China’s “normal military development” at a press briefing on Thursday, June 25.
He called it “just another excuse of NATO in order to drastically increase the military spending and the reach beyond its border so as to have a presence in the Asia-Pacific.”
NATO, a U.S.-led collective defensive alliance centered on Europe, has increasingly turned its attention to China in recent years, viewing the Asian giant as a systemic challenge due to its growing global influence, cyber activities, espionage, and deepening strategic alignment with Russia.
Li Gang/Xinhua via AP
Rutte Raises China Threat at NATO
Ahead of the NATO summit in the Netherlands, Rutte spoke of the importance of the alliance’s relationship with Asia-Pacific powers, naming Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, specifically in the context of China’s military build-up.
Two NATO allies, the U.S. and U.K., have embarked on a partnership with Australia, called AUKUS, to provide it with long-range nuclear submarines and enhance patrols in the Indo-Pacific region.
Rutte also said NATO is concerned about China and North Korea “ramping up” Russia in Moscow’s “unprovoked attack on Ukraine”. China primarily supports Russia with large oil purchases to help it sidestep Western sanctions. It denies sending any weapons.
China Says NATO ‘Fanning the Flames’
China said NATO has ambitions beyond its key European region.
“NATO claims itself as a regional organization but keeps reaching beyond the geopolitical scope defined in its treaty and uses Eurasian security connectivity as an excuse to have a presence in the Asia-Pacific,” Jiakun said.
“The international community sees this clearly and countries in the Asia-Pacific are on high alert.”
On Ukraine, Jiakun said China is “committed to peace talks and actively promotes the political settlement of the crisis. We never provide weapons to any party to the conflict and strictly controls the export of dual-use articles.”
“NATO’s misinformation will not fool people in the world,” he continued. “If NATO truly cares about the security in Europe and the world, it should stop fanning the flames and stoking confrontation.”
Jiakun added: “China urges NATO to take a hard look at what it has done, heed the call for justice in the international community, abandon the Cold War mentality of global confrontation, as well as the zero-sum game. These are outdated concepts.”
