NATO describes China as a “decisive factor in Russia’s war in Ukraine”

July 11 (UPI) – NATO leaders accused China of providing “decisive support to Russia’s war against Ukraine” and called on the country to stop “all material and political support” for the Kremlin’s invasion.

The comment by the 32 members of the military defense alliance comes on Wednesday in the final communiqué of their summit in Washington, DC

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It says Beijing is helping Moscow through the so-called “No Limits” partnership and its “large-scale support for the Russian defense industry.”

The United States has repeatedly warned China against supporting Russia’s war effort, but has not said that Beijing is supplying weapons to Moscow.

Although Wednesday’s statement does not accuse Beijing of supplying weapons to Russia, unlike North Korea, it does explicitly mention the dual-use materials that Beijing supplies, including weapons components, equipment and raw materials.

“The People’s Republic of China cannot allow the largest war in Europe in recent history without negatively affecting its interests and reputation,” she warned.

People’s Republic of China is the official name of China.

The statement continued its criticism of China, saying the country faces “systemic challenges to Euro-Atlantic security.” The bloc is concerned about the country’s capabilities and activities in space, as well as its efforts to “rapidly expand and diversify its nuclear arsenal with more warheads and a greater number of sophisticated delivery systems.”

“We call on the People’s Republic of China to engage in discussions on strategic risk reduction and promote stability through transparency,” NATO said, adding that while it was open to engagement with China, “we are strengthening our shared awareness, improving our resilience and preparedness, and protecting ourselves from the People’s Republic of China’s coercive tactics and efforts to divide the Alliance.”

China stresses that it does not supply Russia with weapons and maintains trade relations with Moscow that have no impact on other countries.

Beijing’s delegation to the European Union sharply criticized the communiqué on Wednesday, calling it “full of Cold War mentality and aggressive rhetoric.”

“The paragraphs on China are provocative and contain obvious lies and slander,” it said in a statement, while suggesting that it is the defense alliance that is escalating the war in Ukraine.

“NATO should not become a disruptor of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, nor a tool used by certain powers to maintain their hegemony,” it said.

Relations between China and Russia have improved despite the deterioration of their relations with Western democracies.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of a Eurasian intergovernmental security summit, their second meeting in just a few months.

The NATO summit began on Tuesday and is scheduled to end on Thursday.