FALCON POWERS – Beijing, on Thursday, called on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to “stop provoking confrontation”, in response to the member states’ “deep concern” over China’s close relations with Russia and their accusation that the Chinese are providing vital assistance to Russia in its military operation in Ukraine.
The Chinese mission to the European Union said in a statement, “NATO must stop hyping up the so-called ‘China threat’, stop inciting confrontation and competition, and make greater contributions to peace and stability in the world.”
While expressing its “strong indignation” in the statement, China condemned the statement issued by the alliance leaders as “full of Cold War mentality and hostile rhetoric” and “full of fallacies”.
China has long called for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, pledged not to provide Moscow with weapons, and affirmed its commitment to respecting the territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine. However, Beijing has never condemned the “Russian special military operation in Ukraine,” as described by Russia.
In its statement, the Chinese mission emphasized “that we have never provided any lethal weapons to either side of the conflict and have exercised strict control over the export of dual-use products, including civilian drones.”
The statement continued, “The Ukraine crisis has been going on for a long time. Who is pouring oil on the fire? Who is fanning the flames? Who is trying to benefit from it? The answer is clear to everyone.”
Without naming any specific party, Beijing was likely referring to the West, especially the United States, which is supplying Ukraine with weapons.
