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China hits back at Nato ‘slander and attacks’ on Beijing’s Ukraine war stand
- China’s EU mission responds after security alliance chief accuses Beijing of echoing Russia’s propaganda and propping up its economy
- Mission tells Nato to ‘ask itself how many bombs it has dropped on ordinary people in other countries’
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Beijing has hit back at Nato leader Jens Stoltenberg over his criticism of China’s position on Ukraine, questioning the security alliance’s own involvement in military conflicts.
“We have noticed Stoltenberg’s remarks and firmly oppose Nato’s repeated slander and attacks on China,” China’s mission to the European Union said, referring to the secretary general’s criticism of Beijing over its ties with Moscow.
The comments were in response to Stoltenberg’s remarks at the end of a meeting with Nato foreign affairs ministers on Wednesday in which he said “China refuses to condemn Russia’s aggression, echoes Russia’s propaganda and props up Russia’s economy”.
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Stoltenberg cautioned Beijing against sending ammunition to Moscow, saying it would be a “historic mistake with profound implications”, and repeatedly used the phrase “severe consequences” to describe Nato’s reaction if Beijing were to send military aid to Russia.
“There’s no reason to go into details, but China knows that there will be severe consequences,” he said.
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Since Russia’s invasion in February last year, the alliance has provided over €150 billion (US$164 billion) in aid to Ukraine, including €65 billion in military support. The US has given more than US$32.6 billion in weapons and other forms of military aid to Ukraine.
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