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NATO is “the real troublemaker” that has fully embraced “Cold War thinking and ideological prejudice” as it continues to generate global tensions, China’s permanent representative to the UN has said.
In a statement on Thursday, Zhang Jun hit back at the communique issued by NATO members at the Vilnius summit earlier this week, which accused China of pursuing “coercive policies” that challenge the bloc’s interests. It also claimed that Beijing uses a wide array of tools to increase its global footprint and undermine the alliance’s security.
The envoy rejected this as “slander” and the “smearing” of China, claiming that the US-led military bloc is still trapped in a Cold War mentality.
He recalled that, while NATO claims to be a regional organization, it violates this principle by entering the Asia-Pacific region and “bringing more negative impacts and destructive factors on regional and global security.”
Zhang said that, although NATO claims to be a defensive alliance, it encourages its members to increase military spending, continue to cross borders, and provoke confrontation.
The bloc, he added, portrays itself as the champion of the ‘rules-based international order,’ but “has repeatedly violated international law…, interfered in the internal affairs of other countries, provoked many wars, bombed diplomatic facilities, [and] killed innocent civilians.”
Individual NATO members pursue double standards, promote nuclear sharing, ‘nuclear alliance’, and further exacerbate regional tensions. Numerous facts have proved that NATO is the real troublemaker.
“China does not cause trouble, but it is not afraid of trouble,” Zhang warned, adding that Beijing will resolutely oppose any encroachment on China’s territorial integrity and national interests.
Zhang’s remarks come after China’s foreign ministry warned NATO against opening a liaison office in Japan, the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region. However, while Tokyo signaled that it was considering the idea, it was not mentioned in the NATO communique. According to Nikkei Asia, the relevant statement was removed from the final version of the document, with a decision on the matter deferred to a later date.
The apparent reversal came after France opposed the plan for a liaison office, fearing that the move would further antagonize Beijing.
China has not forgotten NATO’s 'debt of blood' for bombing embassy in Yugoslavia — MFA
©AP Photo/Andy Wong
The Chinese people haven’t forgotten the 1999 bombing of the country’s embassy in Belgrade, which killed three Chinese citizens, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Twitter.
"We haven't forgotten the debt of blood NATO owes the Chinese people in bombing the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia. Asia-Pacific countries don't welcome a war machine, still less an ‘Asia-Pacific version of NATO’ that stokes bloc confrontation or a new Cold War," the tweet reads.
"China having coercive policies? Isn't NATO the one who has engaged in bloc politics and military operations around the world, threatening other countries with force and challenging the interests, security and values of the world?" Hua said.
"Isn't NATO the one who has trampled underfoot international law and basic norms governing international relations by interfering in other countries’ internal affairs and engaging in wars, causing sufferings to millions of people in the world?" the Chinese diplomat added.
On Tuesday, NATO countries participating in the bloc’s annual summit in Vilnius adopted a communique stating, in particular, that China’s "ambitions and coercive policies" challenge the bloc’s interests, security and values. The NATO members expressed concern about the expansion and diversification of China’s nuclear arsenal. NATO also believes that the deepening strategic partnership between China and Russia runs counter to its values and interests.
The communique adds that the EU and NATO will coordinate their steps "to address the systemic challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China to Euro-Atlantic security." In addition, NATO allies expressed readiness to boost cooperation with their partners in the Asia-Pacific Region, including Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan, in countering common security threats.
In May 1999, a missile struck the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during NATO’s operation in Yugoslavia, killing three Chinese nationals. The alliance claims that the incident was a mistake and the nearby building of the Yugoslav Federal Directorate for Supply and Procurement was the target of the attack.
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