Beijing has reacted angrily to a NATO communique portraying China as a major challenge to the military alliance’s interests and security.
In a strongly worded statement issued halfway through their two-day summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, NATO leaders said the People’s Republic of China (PRC) challenged the alliance’s interests, security and values with its “stated ambitions and coercive policies”.
“The PRC’s malicious hybrid and cyber operations and its confrontational rhetoric and disinformation target Allies and harm Alliance security.”
The NATO declaration also said China and Russia were involved in a “deepening strategic partnership” and that the two countries were involved in “mutually reinforcing attempts to undercut the rules-based international order”.
The leaders urged China to play a “constructive” role as one of five permanent, veto-holding, members of the United Nations Security Council and condemn Russia’s “war of aggression against Ukraine”.
The Chinese mission to the European Union condemned the comments, accusing NATO of distorting China’s position and deliberately trying to discredit the country.
Credit: aljazeera.com
