NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that China should be punished for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Beijing can’t have both at the same time. At some point, allies will have to impose costs unless China changes course. There have to be consequences,” he said. Said.
“China is stoking the biggest armed conflict in Europe since World War II while at the same time wanting to maintain good relations with the West,” he noted.
Stoltenberg is Busy in Wilson Center In a speech delivered in Washington, DC, he rejected “isolationism”, believing it to be illogical in a deeply interconnected world.
“In an era of growing global challenges, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic submarines, the weaponization of space, and increasing cyber and terrorist attacks, the vastness of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans cannot protect the United States,” he noted.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to reporters after meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, DC, June 17, 2024. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Stoltenberg sees authoritarian Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin joining forces to counter NATO and the United States, using the invasion of Ukraine as a hammer blow to shatter the post-World War II international order. He suggested that the best way to get Putin to consider withdrawing from Ukraine would be to make it clear that he cannot outlast NATO’s resources or weaken its resolve.
“It may seem contradictory, but the path to peace is additional arms supplies to Ukraine. I strongly welcome the $60 billion aid package passed by the U.S. Congress in April, which is significant and complements efforts by other NATO allies,” he said.
Stoltenberg accused China of “sharing high-end technology, such as semiconductors and other dual-use products, with Russia.” He suggested that Chinese support was a major factor in his prediction that Putin might outlast NATO and Ukraine.
“Russia receives support from others, including North Korea, which has delivered more than a million artillery shells, and Iran, which has delivered thousands of its powerful Shahed drones. In return, Pyongyang and Tehran receive Russian technology and supplies to help improve their missile and nuclear capabilities,” he said, arguing that strengthening NATO unity is the best way to counter this malevolent alliance.
Stoltenberg said he would invite Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea to a NATO summit in Washington in July to discuss how they could work together to “uphold the rules-based international order and defend our common values”.
This is actually one of the common themes in China. conspiracy As China seeks to build an “Asian NATO” with countries such as Japan and South Korea, China must build closer ties with its allies to counter it.
In a question-and-answer session after his speech, Stoltenberg responded to these allegations by China and Russia by stressing that NATO has always been a “defensive alliance” and that Russia was the clear aggressor in Ukraine. He argued that a strong defensive posture is the best way to deter an aggressor like Russia from further aggression, and suggested that China should similarly factor the strong deterrent power of the West into its calculations of conquest.
There is a misconception that we can distinguish between the threat posed by Russia in Europe and the threat or challenge posed by China in Asia or the Asia-Pacific region. Our security is not regional, it is global, and Ukraine has demonstrated that very clearly.
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If Putin wins in Ukraine, it would not only be a tragedy for Ukrainians. It would send a very clear message not only to Putin but also to Xi Jinping that they can get what they want if they use military force and break international law. So if you are afraid of Chinese aggression in the South China Sea or Taiwan, you should also be very concerned about Ukraine.
Stoltenberg said some of NATO’s European allies were “a bit slow” to recognise China as a global threat but that the US persuaded them to change their mind around the decade ago. He said he was “optimistic” that an “agile and adaptable” NATO could rise to the challenge of dealing with two hostile powers.
Chinese Government Condemned On Tuesday, Stoltenberg accused the NATO secretary-general of “shifting the blame” for the Ukraine war and “sowing seeds of discord.”
“The world knows what role NATO played in the Ukraine crisis. What NATO should do is reflect on itself, not slander and attack China,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said derisively.
“What NATO should do is reflect on itself, rather than slandering and attacking China. China is neither the initiator nor a party to the Ukraine crisis. We will do our utmost to promote peace negotiations,” Lin said.
