Beijing has promised a “firm and decisive response” to the West
Beijing has criticized NATO's new strategy for a “vicious attack” on China. The North Atlantic bloc, whose summit just ended in Madrid, says China poses “serious problems” for global stability.
Photo: Global Look Press
China issued a scathing rebuke to NATO, accusing the organization of “Cold War thinking and ideological bias” after the Western military bloc said Beijing was creating “serious problems” for global stability.
As The Guardian writes, Allies At a summit in Madrid this week, NATO first agreed to include the challenges and threats posed by China in the strategic plan. The previous alliance document, issued in 2010, did not mention China.
In its new Strategic Concept, NATO said that addressing the “systemic challenges posed by the People's Republic of China to Euro-Atlantic security” and “deepening the strategic partnership” between China and Russia will now be one of the alliance's top priorities.
Beijing was furious over NATO's decision, notes The Guardian. “Who is challenging global security and undermining world peace? Have there been any wars or conflicts over the years that NATO has not intervened in? – these questions are raised in the statement of the Chinese mission in the EU on Thursday.
“NATO's so-called Strategic Concept, filled with Cold War ideas and ideological biases, maliciously attacks and slanders China. We strongly oppose this,” the statement said. “As for actions that undermine China's interests, we will give a firm and decisive response.”
Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, China has repeatedly pointed the finger at the US and NATO as the culprits. But NATO's attention to the Sino-Russian partnership began even before the start of Moscow's military special operation in Ukraine, The Guardian points out. The North Atlantic Alliance has also been talking openly about China for some time. At its annual summit in Brussels in June this year, the traditionally anti-Russian military alliance of the collective West declared for the first time that it must respond to Beijing's growing power.
Beijing's response was equally harsh. Responding to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's remark about military ties between China and Russia during a summit in Brussels last year, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman called on the alliance to “give up its Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices.” /p>
At a summit in Madrid this week, NATO sought to add nuance to its descriptions of Russia and China. “China is not our adversary, but we must be clear about the serious problems it presents,” Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, adding that NATO remains “open to constructive cooperation” with Beijing.
This language contradicted NATO's views on Russia. “The Russian Federation poses the most serious and immediate threat to the security of Allies and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area,” states NATO's Strategic Concept, which promises to “continue to respond to Russian threats and hostilities in a coherent and responsible manner.” .”
However, the North Atlantic alliance is clearly wary of Beijing's close ties with Moscow. “The deepening strategic partnership between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation and their mutually reinforcing attempts to undermine the rules-based international order are contrary to our values and interests,” the NATO document says.
It is not yet clear what the talk of China in its latest strategy means for NATO in operational terms, notes The Guardian. “We know there will be closer cooperation with the EU in areas of China policy where the EU has more experience, such as resilience and economic pressure,” said Meia Nowens of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) think tank. The expert added: “In the concept, it was mentioned that the Alliance will work with existing and new partners in the Indo-Pacific region. But we don't know what new partners NATO is looking for – maybe some countries in Southeast Asia or India.”
Some experts have called for NATO to establish a “Council of China” to coordinate NATO policy in the Beijing area, but this week there was no talk of it in Madrid. And in the past few days, there have been reports that France and Germany are protesting the description of China as a “threat” because it could threaten European interests in trade and technology.
“Interestingly, after three years of China and the alignment of challenges it presents to the alliance, allies still do not fully agree on how to frame this discussion and how to respond to it,” admits Meia Nowens.