BEIJING, July 25. /TASS/. NATO countries are prolonging the conflict in Ukraine through weapons supplies, thereby allowing their defense industries to cash in, Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said at a briefing.
"China has always maintained an impartial and fair position on the Ukraine issue; we actively call for peace talks, which has been widely recognized by the international community," he noted, commenting on the NATO summit communique. "In contrast, US-led NATO countries are adding fuel to the fire, seeing this as their chance to profit from the war," Zhang added.
The alliance should take a long, hard look in the mirror instead of accusing China of being involved in the conflict in Ukraine, he went on to say. "We warn NATO against interfering in China’s domestic affairs, challenging China’s legitimate rights and interests, and smearing China’s internal and foreign policy; otherwise, the alliance will shoot itself in the foot," Zhang pointed out.
North Atlantic Alliance members said in the final communique of the bloc’s summit in Washington published on July 10 that they planned to hold a meeting with Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan to discuss potential areas for cooperation and common security challenges. NATO also claimed that China posed "systemic challenges to Euro-Atlantic security." The document also noted that China should stop providing material and political support to Russia in its special military operation in Ukraine, as well as end the export of dual-use goods to Russia.