NATO leaders have criticized China as a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine, expressing deep concern over Beijing’s growing ties with Moscow.
This marks the alliance’s strongest rebuke of China to date.
The final communique, endorsed by all 32 NATO members at the Washington summit, also addresses worries about China’s nuclear arsenal and its capabilities in space.
“I think the message sent from NATO from this summit is very strong and very clear, and we are clearly defining China’s responsibility when it comes to enabling Russia’s war,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated, highlighting the significance of the statement.
NATO leaders have urged China to “cease all material and political support to Russia’s war effort,” noting that Beijing has become a significant backer of Russia’s “defense industrial base.”
“This includes the transfer of dual-use materials, such as weapons components, equipment, and raw materials that serve as inputs for Russia’s defense sector,” the declaration stated.
Although Beijing asserts it does not provide direct military aid to Russia, it has maintained robust trade relations with its neighbor throughout the conflict.
China’s foreign ministry expressed displeasure at NATO’s increasing involvement in Asia and urged the alliance to stay out of the Asia-Pacific region and avoid inciting confrontation.
Beijing’s mission to the EU remarked that the summit was “filled with cold war mentality and belligerent rhetoric.”
“The China-related paragraphs are provocative with obvious lies and smears,” the mission said in a statement.
NATO’s statement coincided with the attendance of leaders from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea at the summit talks on Thursday.
This marks the third consecutive year that leaders from these Asia-Pacific partners have participated in the summit.
The final communique also accused China of engaging in persistent, malicious cyber and hybrid activities, including disinformation campaigns.
It further raised concerns about China’s rapid expansion and diversification of its nuclear arsenal, with more warheads and advanced delivery systems.
Danny Russel, the former US assistant secretary of state for Asia, described NATO’s new wording as “an extraordinary step.”
“It is a mark of how badly Beijing’s attempt to straddle Russia and western Europe has failed and how hollow its claim of neutrality rings,” said Russel, who serves as vice-president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute.
“China’s attempts at divide-and-conquer have instead produced remarkable solidarity between key nations of the Euro-Atlantic and the Asia-Pacific regions.”
This week, Chinese troops have been conducting joint military drills in Belarus, closely monitored by neighboring Poland.
China and Belarus are allies of Russia, while Poland is a NATO member and supporter of Kyiv.
“The defense ministry is well aware of the risk of the operations in question being used for disinformation and propaganda purposes,” Poland’s defense ministry informed Agence France-Presse on Wednesday.
China has previously conducted joint drills with Belarus, though these are the first since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The “Falcon Assault” drills began on Monday and will continue until mid-July, with China’s defense ministry expressing hope to deepen cooperation with Minsk.