(NewsSpace.com) – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had a global impact. Many countries have sanctioned Moscow and several entities for their actions. Where Ukraine has relied largely on the West for support, Russia has turned to other US adversaries, including China, North Korea, and Iran. Now, NATO is calling out one country for its enabling.
On Wednesday, July 10, the alliance made a statement declaring Beijing “a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine.” This is a significant change in stance for NATO, particularly because it rarely ever mentions China, except in the vaguest of terms. It first listed the Asian nation as a concern in 2019.
The statement, signed by all 32 alliance members, demands that China stop shipping materials to Russia that would help it rebuild its military, saying it needs to “cease all material and political support.” It also made it clear that Beijing “cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation.” The declaration did not go into what those penalties might be, though sanctions on a global scale are likely to be first. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said it was “the strongest message” the alliance members have sent to China for its contributions to the war. He had previously said the Asian nation, along with Iran and North Korea, “want NATO to fail,” and that makes the outcome of the war all that more important.
Several EU countries have been lagging behind Washington’s move in pointing the finger at China because they rely heavily on the economic relationship between them. Czech President Petr Pavel said if Russia were to win the war, it would bolster China’s aggression and urged NATO member countries to join the US in its “competition” against the nation.
The following day, China spoke out about the declaration, accusing NATO of engaging in “Cold War mentality” and spreading “obvious lies and smears.”
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