NATO Chief: China is propping up Russian economy facing Western sanctions

(Patria) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that China is propping up the Russian economy facing Western sanctions due to the war in Ukraine, as the alliance worries about closer ties between Beijing and
Moscow, AFP reports.

NATO foreign ministers discussed the growing challenge of China with Asia-Pacific partners Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand in Brussels.

“China refuses to condemn Russia’s aggression. It is echoing Russian propaganda. And it is supporting the Russian economy“, Stoltenberg said.

“At a time when Beijing and Moscow are working against the rules-based international order, it is even more important that we continue to stand together“, he added.

The call for a united stance came as French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beijing to talk with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Macron said in the Chinese capital that anyone who helps “aggressor“ Russia in its war against Ukraine would be considered an “accomplice“.

He also said that Beijing could play a “major role“ in finding a path to peace in Ukraine and insisted that Europe must not be “detached from China“.

Stoltenberg reiterated Western warnings to China not to supply weapons to Russian forces. The Secretary General says NATO has so far “not been able to confirm“ that Beijing is supplying any
weapons to Russia. “China knows there will be severe consequences“ if it does, he warned. Stoltenberg said he had invited the leaders of the four Asia-Pacific partners to the NATO summit in Vilnius in July, as the alliance wants to strengthen its ties with the region.