New Delhi: NATO itself is a systematic challenge to global peace and stability, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday, commenting on the alliance’s new strategic concept.
“NATO itself is a systemic challenge to global peace and stability,” the Chinese diplomat said at a regular news conference. The US-led organization, while positioning itself as a defensive bloc, has sought to advance into new areas and domains, he added.”
“NATO has the blood of the global population on its hands. We want to state openly that NATO is exaggerating and inflating the so-called Chinese threat and this is an absolutely futile endeavor,” Zhao Lijian remarked. He urged the military bloc to immediately stop its baseless criticism and provocative statements against China and refrain from Cold War ideology and the zero-sum game concept.
At Wednesday’s summit in Madrid, NATO leaders agreed on a new strategic concept in which Russia was identified as “the most significant and direct threat to the alliance’s security.” NATO addressed China for the first time, pointing to the systemic challenges posed by the country.
NATO, however, considers Russia the “most significant and direct threat” to its security. Moscow has been excluded from NATO partners, according to the Strategic Concept, adopted during the summit in Madrid.
The bloc also intends to counter China, expand its partnership in the Asia Pacific Region and on the post-Soviet territory, and reinforce its defense capabilities. The expansion of the bloc was called a “historic success.”
(Vinayak)