The West, led by the US, has stepped up the rhetoric against each other this week, with the Group of 7 calling for a fresh investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and for China to respect human rights.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded on Tuesday, saying “China and Europe are comprehensive strategic partners, not systemic rivals”, and the US was trying to create barriers between countries.

“The United States is engaged in forming a small circle against China, based on ideological lines, but the interests of the United States and the European Union are different,” Zhao said.

“The European Union is independent, and relevant European countries will not tie themselves to the American anti-China strategy.

“The US is sick, and the G7 group should take the pulse and make prescriptions for the US.”

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Nato says China presents ‘systemic challenges’

Nato says China presents ‘systemic challenges’

Diplomatic observers said even though Europe had confronted China on various issues – including freezing a landmark EU-China investment deal – China did not think Europe had a united position on China.

“Countries such as Germany, France and Italy have relatively better relations and smooth cooperation with China. They are more willing to differentiate themselves from the influence of the US to develop ties with China,” said Liu Weidong, a US affairs expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

“Even if individual European nations have conflicts with China in some aspects, they do not regard China as a ... rival. Europe and the US have different assessments of China’s international status and its development.”

Nato chief calls for alliance to ‘respond together’ on China ahead of talks

In its statement on Monday, Nato said China’s stated ambitions and assertive behaviour presented systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security.

“China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal with more warheads and a larger number of sophisticated delivery systems to establish a nuclear triad. It is opaque in implementing its military modernisation and its publicly declared military-civil fusion strategy,” it said.

“It is also cooperating militarily with Russia, including through participation in Russian exercises in the Euro-Atlantic area.”

The bloc said it would still seek “constructive dialogue” with China, but would work with “like-minded partners” in maintaining an edge in new technologies and on maintaining a “rules-based international order”, a reference to a US-led world order.

Beijing insisted it did not pose any threat to global security.

“This is a slander against China’s peaceful development, misjudgment of international development and [Nato’s] own role in the world, as well as a continuation of a cold war mentality and bloc politics,” China’s mission to the EU said.

“We do not pose ‘systemic challenges’ to any country. But we would not sit idle if anyone is to pose ‘systemic challenges’ to us,” it said, adding that China would pay close attention to the shift in Nato’s policy on China.

The mission said China had fewer nuclear weapons than the US and other Nato nations, and China had promised not to use nuclear weapons against nations without such weapons.

China called on Nato to “rationally view China’s development and stop hyping up all sorts of ‘China threats’ rhetoric”.

“China is committed to peaceful development. But we will never forget ... the bombing of China’s embassy in Yugoslavia, and we will never forget the human tragedy of the destruction of our compatriots’ families,” the mission said, referring to the bombing of the embassy in Belgrade in 1999 that killed three Chinese journalists.

China said the incident was a “barbarian act”. The US said the intention was to bomb the Yugoslav Federal Directorate for Supply and Procurement.

Additional reporting by Kristin Huang