NATO is ‘sower of chaos and war’, says Chinese defense spokesman

BEIJING: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a “sower of chaos and war” which provokes bloc confrontation and creates division all around the world, a Chinese defense spokesperson said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

Zhang Xiaogang, the spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, slammed NATO’s militaristic expansion when asked to comment on the recent Washington Summit Declaration. In it, NATO accused China of continuing to challenge its interests, security and values, and “having become a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine”.

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NATO Secretary General said that NATO was to engage more closely with Indo-Pacific countries and that he supported more naval exercises between NATO Allies and Indo-Pacific partners.

“In recent years, NATO extended its ominous reach into the Asia-Pacific region, with China as its imagined antagonist. It has induced a number of regional countries to follow its lead, provoked bloc confrontation and created division. NATO is, indeed, a ‘sowers of wars and chaos’,” he said.

“From Ukraine to Afghanistan, from Iraq to Libya, it has brought war and disaster to these regions and their people. History has taught us that division and confrontation would find no support, and belligerency and expansion would work its own ruins,” Zhang said.

“On the Ukraine issue, the Chinese side follows an objective and impartial position, and actively promotes peace talks, which has been widely recognized by the international community. In contrast, the US-led NATO allies keep fueling the fire and profiteering from the war. NATO needs to reflect on itself, instead of deflecting blame onto China,” he said.

The spokesperson emphasised that China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order. The Chinese military remains a staunch force for global and regional peace and stability, he added.

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He urged NATO not to interfere in China’s internal affairs, not to challenge China’s legitimate rights and interests, and not to smear China’s domestic and foreign policies. Otherwise, it will only backfire, stressed the spokesman.