BEIJING, July 12. /TASS/. Beijing will firmly uphold its sovereignty and resolutely oppose any NATO advance into the Asia-Pacific region, China’s diplomatic mission to the European Union said in response to a NATO communique released on the first day of the bloc’s annual summit in Vilnius.

"China will firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests, resolutely opposing NATO's advance eastward toward the Asia-Pacific region," the Chinese mission pointed out. "All actions that damage China’s legitimate rights and interests will be met with a strong response," the mission added.

Beijing’s EU mission noted that the China-related part of NATO’s communique "disregards basic facts, pointlessly distorts China's position and policy, and deliberately discredits China." "We firmly oppose and reject this," the mission stressed.

As a relic of the Cold War, NATO has committed a lot of misdeeds, the mission noted. Still, the alliance keeps shifting the blame to other countries, interfering in the affairs of those outside of its territory, creating confrontation and demonstrating its hypocritical stance.

"The repeated mentions in the NATO communique about the organization being a nuclear alliance only serve to further stoke regional tensions, which is a matter of deep concern for China," the mission emphasized.

On Tuesday, NATO countries participating in the Vilnius summit adopted a communique stating, in particular, that China’s "ambitions and coercive policies" challenge the bloc’s interests, security and values. The NATO members expressed concern about the expansion and diversification of China’s nuclear arsenal. NATO also believes that the deepening strategic partnership between China and Russia runs counter to its values and interests. The communique adds that the EU and NATO will coordinate their steps "to address the systemic challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China to Euro-Atlantic security."