In a strongly worded communique, NATO on Tuesday accused China of challenging the bloc’s interests and security, eliciting an angry response from Beijing.
In a communique issued midway into a two-day summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, NATO said that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) challenged its interests, security and values with its “ambitions and coercive policies.”
“The PRC employs a broad range of political, economic, and military tools to increase its global footprint and project power, while remaining opaque about its strategy, intentions and military build-up,” NATO heads of state said in the communique.
Photo: AFP
“The PRC’s malicious hybrid and cyber operations and its confrontational rhetoric and disinformation target Allies and harm Alliance security,” the communique said.
The Chinese mission to the EU said in a statement that the China-related content of the communique disregarded basic facts, distorted China’s position and policies, and deliberately discredited China.
“We firmly oppose and reject this,” it said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters at the summit that while China was not a NATO “adversary,” it was increasingly challenging the rules-based international order with its “coercive behavior.”
“China is increasingly challenging the rules-based international order, refusing to condemn Russia’s war against Ukraine, threatening Taiwan and carrying out a substantial military buildup,” he said.
However, NATO made no mention of Taiwan in its communique.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was “very meaningful” for Stoltenberg to once again clearly express his concern for security in the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan is a responsible, democratic member of the Indo-Pacific region, and is willing to work with like-minded partners such as Europe and the US to jointly combat coercion by and challenges from authoritarian regimes, it added.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, joining for a second time, aimed to remind the military alliance to pay heed to East Asia risks, while South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol sought deeper international security cooperation amid rising North Korean threats and tension over China.
In May, Kishida said that Japan had no plans to become a NATO member, even though NATO was planning a Tokyo office, its first in Asia, to facilitate consultations in the region.
The Chinese mission said China resolutely opposed NATO’s “eastward movement into the Asia-Pacific region” and said that any action threatening Beijing’s rights would be met with a resolute response.
“Any act that jeopardizes China’s legitimate rights and interests will be met with a resolute response,” it said.
In the communique, NATO said that China sought to control key technological and industrial sectors, critical infrastructure, and strategic materials and supply chains, and that Beijing also used its economic leverage to create strategic dependencies and enhance its influence.
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