China tension over Ukraine flares at Arctic Circle Assembly in Iceland
- Rob Bauer, chair of Nato’s Military Committee, confronted He Rulong, China’s ambassador to Iceland, over China’s failure to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
- China has resisted US calls to condemn Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, although Beijing said earlier this week it was ‘concerned’ about Moscow’s recent missile strikes
A senior Nato official confronted a Chinese diplomat over China’s failure to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, injecting tension over the war into an international conference about the Arctic.
The unusually frank exchange between Admiral Rob Bauer, chair of the alliance’s Military Committee, and He Rulong, China’s ambassador to Iceland, followed a speech by Bauer on Nato’s role in the region at the annual Arctic Circle Assembly.
Bauer, a Dutch Navy officer, said China “doesn’t share our values and undermines the rules-based international order.”
The Chinese envoy spoke up from the audience to challenge Bauer, saying “Admiral, with due respect, your speech and remarks is filled with arrogance.”
That prompted disagreement by the Nato official.
“I have a question for you, because you underline the principle of sovereignty and the importance of the internationally recognised borders in the world,” Bauer said, drawing applause. “I am correct, isn’t that true? Yeah. So why is it possible then that China still is not condemning Russia’s attack in Ukraine?”