China is left fuming after NATO chief’s warning
Beijing hits back after Chinese state-run media accuses Stoltenberg of threatening Russia’s close ally
Beijing has launched a rhetorical missile at NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
In an editorial today, state-run Global Times parroted the ruling Communist Party’s anger after he accused China of “fueling the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.”
Stoltenberg’s comments only highlighted the economic and dual-purpose technology support Russian President Vladimir Putin has received from Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
High-tech that has been used by Moscow’s war machine in its illegal invasion of Ukraine since 2022.
“The NATO chief also continued to threaten China, saying that [it] cannot ‘have it both ways’ between the West and Russia and that if it does not change course, ‘there should be consequences,’” Global Times stated.
War of words:
- President Xi’s blunder to back Russia with a “no limits” trade pact has backfired.
- Key to China’s Foreign Policy is the Five Principles, including “to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of others.”
- Beijing’s closest international “buddy” Moscow has trashed that “principle” with its Ukraine invasion.
- It has also dented China’s credibility on the world stage, despite a steady supply of cheap Russian oil and gas.
The role of NATO is dishonorable.
global times
Big picture: Up to 90% of Russian microelectronics needed for its military was made in China. Beijing was also involved in upgrading Moscow’s satellite capabilities.
What was said: “Beijing cannot have it both ways. At some point – and unless China changes course – allies need to impose a cost. There should be consequences,” Stoltenberg said at the Wilson Center in Washington earlier this week.
Delve deeper: Beijing’s response was to blame NATO’s “expansion” for the Ukraine conflict. “The role of NATO is dishonorable. The Ukraine crisis [was] caused by the bloc’s eastward expansion, plunging Ukraine into war,” Global Times insisted.
China Factor comment: This is nonsense. Many of the so-called new members of NATO lived under the shadow of Russia’s previous incarnation as the authoritarian Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or USSR and the Eastern Bloc. Putin’s aim to resurrect the old Red Empire triggered a stampede to NATO’s door.