China: America, Europe to pay attention to negative impact of NATO’s continuous expansion on Russia’s security
China has told the United States to pay attention to the negative impact of NATO’s continuous eastward expansion on Russia’s security environment.
During a conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ”encouraged the United States, NATO, the European Union, and Russia to engage in dialogue on an equal footing, face up to the contradictions and problems accumulated over the years.”
Meanwhile, Blinken discussed about “Moscow’s premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified war against Ukraine,” a US State Department spokesperson said.
“The Secretary noted the world is watching to see which nations stand up for the basic principles of freedom, self-determination and sovereignty,” spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
“He underscored that the world is acting in unison to repudiate and respond to the Russian aggression, ensuring that Moscow will pay a high price,” Price added.
With international outrage and sanctions mounting against Russia, Beijing is scrambling to avoid being tainted by association with Moscow while also maintaining their increasingly close ties.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin toasted a friendship with “no limits” at a warm meeting in February, but just one month later that bond is being tested by the war in Ukraine.
Once bitter Cold War rivals, China and Russia have moved closer than ever since Xi Jinping took power nearly a decade ago, driven by their shared desire to confront US power.
But China seems to have been caught flat-footed by Russia’s military offensive, fierce Ukrainian resistance, and the volume of the resulting international anti-Kremlin backlash.
Beijing, which has long demanded respect for territorial integrity in border disputes with its own neighbours, has been forced into rhetorical contortions on Ukraine to avoid upsetting Russia.
It has refused to condemn Moscow, with Chinese government spokespersons remonstrating foreign journalists at press conferences who refer to the assault on Ukraine as an “invasion”.
While maintaining lip service to national sovereignty, China has insisted that Moscow’s security concerns regarding Ukraine and the broader expansion of the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) are valid.
