According to Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, NATO, not China, is to blame for the crisis in Ukraine and lacks any moral authority to condemn Beijing. Mao went on to say that NATO “is in no position to criticize or pressure China” to take its side, saying that “the US and the military bloc of NATO shoulder unshirkable responsibilities on the Ukraine crisis.”
“China maintains a fair and impartial stance on the Ukraine conflict. She stated, “We have been promoting a political settlement of the problem and working for discussions for peace. The vast majority of countries throughout the world accept this approach.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, cautioned China on Wednesday to rein in its “growing alignment” with Russia and accused Beijing of “supporting Russia’s economy” and “refusing to denounce Russia’s aggression.”
Stoltenberg continued, “would be a historic error, with profound implications” to arm NATO’s fiercest foe.
Beijing has frequently denied having any plans to give Russia deadly assistance, and Russia has similarly refuted claims that it has asked Beijing for military hardware.
The two countries have become closer over the past year, and after their meeting at the Kremlin last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping pledged to “further deepen mutual military trust.”
Putin later stressed that there was only “cooperation in the sphere of military-technical interaction,” and that there was no imminent “military alliance with China.” He claimed that the West was simply projecting its imagined creation of a new axis resembling the fascist adversary of World War II onto its main geopolitical adversaries.
Nevertheless, the US has imposed sanctions on a number of Chinese firms for allegedly providing components for Iranian drones, which Washington alleges Russia is using in Ukraine.
New sanctions were imposed by the US Treasury against five Chinese firms and one person who were allegedly “responsible for the sale and shipment of thousands of aerospace components” to Iran, including parts that may be used to build drones. Iran has also denied giving Russia weaponry for use in the crisis in Ukraine.
