China Criticises "Groundless Accusations" In NATO Communique

MNI London: China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Wang Webin, has called on NATO to stop "groundless accusations and provocative remarks," included in yesterday joint communique issued by leaders at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

• The NATO joint communiquesays, "[China's] stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge our interests, security and values," and criticised PRC's use of "political, economic, and military tools" to "project power, while remaining opaque about its strategy, intentions and military build-up."
• The communique claims, "The PRC seeks to control key technological and industrial sectors, critical infrastructure, and strategic materials and supply chains... uses its economic leverage to create strategic dependencies and enhance its influence," and "strives to subvert the rules-based international order..."
• China's EU Mission said in a statement that the joint communique "wantonly distorts" China's position and policies, adding that China "resolutely opposes NATO's eastward movement into the Asia-Pacific region."
• This week's NATO summit is the second, after last year's Madrid summit, to include the so-called 'AP4' countries of South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Their inclusion has been strongly criticised by Beijing as evidence of NATO's long-term mission to contain China.