Beijing: China denounced the military presence of NATO in Asia-Pacific and urged the Atlantic alliance to avoid actions that could provoke a ?confrontation? in the area, Radio Habana Cuba publishes.
During a virtual meeting with the Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticized some members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for frequently sending warships and fighter jets to the Asia-Pacific region, close to China’s maritime borders.
The top Chinese diplomat warned that the Asia-Pacific region does not need a military alliance, like the one that some NATO members, led by the United States, are trying to create to stop the Asian giant.
He warned that the military activities and the presence of ships and planes of NATO members in Asia-Pacific could provoke a confrontation between the main powers and asked the alliance to avoid actions that could start a new cold war.
Wang made it clear that China was not and will not be an “adversary” of NATO, so he called on the military bloc to play a constructive role in the peaceful and stable development of the Asia-Pacific region.
He said Beijing is willing to maintain a dialogue with NATO on the basis of equality and mutual respect, and stressed that the international community needs unity, cooperation, understanding and mutual trust to counter global challenges.
On the grounds of the right to free navigation, warships from the United States and other Western countries have repeatedly crossed the disputed waters of the South China Sea, as part of a show of force against China.
Beijing, in turn, accuses Washington and its allies of trying to destabilize the Pacific region and militarize the resource-rich waters of the South China Sea and has repeatedly asked the West to avoid “risks and possible accidents.”