BEIJING, July 12. /TASS/. Beijing urges NATO politicians to stop smearing the People’s Republic of China just so they can get some good press, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian said during a briefing.
"China advises certain Western politicians, those who are on their way out, to forget about trying to leave behind some kind of legacy, provoking problems and making accusations in their speeches," he said, commenting on NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s remarks about the alleged security threat posed by China, and the support which Beijing supposedly provides to Moscow in the Ukrainian conflict.
Lin Jian also noted that Stoltenberg’s remarks "prove that NATO is a Cold War relic and a product of camp confrontation and bloc policy" and demonstrate "the risks and challenges to peace and stability in the world" the organization poses.
He underscored that "China will continue to firmly follow the path of peaceful development, helping keep the world on steady ground via its own progress and external cooperation."
Previously, Stoltenberg said during the press conference at the NATO summit in Washington D.C. that "China’s support for Russia poses a security threat for NATO," adding that the alliance intends to cooperate with China’s adversaries. Meanwhile, he refrained from saying what practical measures and sanctions the alliance may introduce against China, but stated that, for the first time in history, all NATO member states unanimously declared China a "key sponsor" of Russia’s war effort in the Ukrainian conflict.