China opposes further NATO expansion

BRUSSELS: China believes NATO’s expansion does not contribute to global security and stability, the Chinese Mission in the EU said on Tuesday.

The statement comes as the situation around Ukraine has worsened over the past several months. NATO and Kiev continue to accuse Russia of building up troops near the Ukrainian border and preparing for an invasion.

“Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, NATO continues to expand its geographical scope and the range of operations and engages in bloc politics and confrontation. This is not conducive to global security and stability. China believes that regional security should not be guaranteed by strengthening or expanding military blocs,” the embassy statement said.

“We call on NATO to abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological bias, respect the sovereignty, security, interests as well as the diversity of civilizations, history and culture of other countries, take an objective and impartial view of other countries’ peaceful development, and do more to increase mutual trust among countries and maintain regional peace and stability,” it said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met on Friday in China on the sidelines of the Beijing Winter Olympics and reaffirmed their close ties in the face of US pressure, prompting a wave of media attention in the West.

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said on Saturday that fears are growing in Washington that Moscow is moving closer to Beijing.

“Of course, the message [media coverage] was very negative. There were clear concerns about Russia and China moving closer together,” Antonov said on the Solovyov Live show.

According to Antonov, Russia is bracing for more US sanctions after seeing consensus on the move cut across party lines in Congress. “Unfortunately, we expect sanctions. There is no telling what they will be. Much of the squabbling has been about who will hit Russia harder and more painfully,” Antonov added.

During their talks on Friday, Xi and Putin had an in-depth and thorough exchange of views on China-Russia relations and a series of major issues that concern international strategic security and stability. (ANI)