NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday upped the ante against China’s alignment with Russia, criticizing Beijing for “oppressing its own people” and threatening Taiwan.
Speaking at the closing press conference after the NATO summit, Stoltenberg doubled down on NATO’s latest labeling of China as a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine, which was amplified in the NATO leaders’ declaration a day ago.
When asked about China’s ongoing military exercise with Belarus, Stoltenberg said: “The Chinese exercise together with Belarusian forces … just confirms how authoritarian regimes are aligning more and more, and also how China is coming closer to NATO, in Europe, in Africa and the Arctic and elsewhere.”
The Chinese-Belarusian anti-terrorism exercises, conducted not far from the border with NATO ally Poland, coincide with the NATO summit.
“We need to remember what kind of regimes we are speaking about,” Stoltenberg said. “We are speaking about authoritarian regimes. China is oppressing its own people, cracking down on democratic voices … in Hong Kong, more assertive behavior in the South China Sea, threatening neighbors, threatening Taiwan.
“And China is conducting a huge military buildup with no transparency and investing heavily in modern missiles [and] nuclear weapons,” he added.
In an emailed response to POLITICO, the Polish Foreign Ministry said it “noted” the joint exercises between China and Belarus.
“We have been closely monitoring the ongoing military cooperation between Belarus and China for years, recognizing its potential impact on Poland’s security,” it said on Wednesday. “We are concerned about China’s deepening military cooperation with Russia and Belarus — countries involved in aggression against Ukraine.”
The Polish authorities added that these actions “multiply threats in our neighborhood” and “call into question China’s attempts to position itself as a neutral state in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”