Beijing has flatly rejected the US-led military bloc’s claim that it is “fueling” the conflict
FILE PHOTO: The US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) is one of the weapons which Washington had donated to Kiev. © Gints Ivuskans / AFP
NATO is directly responsible for the Ukraine conflict, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said during a press briefing on Friday, reacting to criticisms raised by the US-led military bloc.
On Thursday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accused Beijing of supposedly supporting Russian weapons manufacturing through the export of dual-use components to the country.
“China says it wants good relations with the West. At the same time, Beijing continues to fuel the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War Two. They cannot have it both ways,” the official warned.
Wang rejected the claim, dismissing it as being based on nothing but rumors. China hadn’t started the Ukraine crisis, he insisited, and NATO’s responsibility for it is “unshiftable.” The US-led military bloc “should reflect on its role, stop shifting the blame, and do something practical to promote a political settlement,” he added.
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According to Beijing, NATO’s expansion in Europe and refusal to take Russian national security concerns into consideration triggered the hostilities. A roadmap to peace that China proposed in early 2023 called for that core problem to be addressed, he noted.
Kiev rejected a potential peace treaty with Moscow which the parties had negotiated in the early weeks of the conflict, and opted to continue armed hostilities. The US and its allies have vowed to stand with Ukraine “for as long as it takes” to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia. Moscow has claimed that Ukrainian military casualties since February 2022 are approaching 500,000.
In his rebuke of Beijing, Stoltenberg claimed that in 2023 “Russia imported 90% of its microelectronics from China, used to produce missiles, tanks and aircraft.” Wang said Chinese trade was above board, and claimed that “more than 60% of weapons parts and dual-use items imported by Russia come from the US and the West.”
READ MORE: Beijing warns Washington against crossing ‘red lines’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently visiting China. He reportedly intends to use the threat of financial restrictions, which Washington is poised to impose on Chinese banks involved in trade with Russia, as leverage. During his meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday, the latter warned that US attempts to infringe on “China’s legitimate development rights” were undermining bilateral relations.
