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WORLD NEWS Friday 12 July 2024
China tells NATO not to create chaos in Asia and rejects label of

‘enabler’ of Russia’s Ukraine war

kashenko, whose regime Earlier this month, Putin and
cracked down brutally on Chinese President Xi Jin-
2020 mass protests against ping attended a meeting
his rule, of leaders or top officials
Lin described the joint train- from the 10 SCO countries
ing as a normal military op- in Kazakhstan at which Pu-
eration that is not directed tin reiterated his demand
at any particular country. that Ukraine withdraw its
China is a key player in the troops from parts of the
Shanghai Cooperation Or- country occupied by Rus-
ganization, which includes sia.
a strong military element in- Ukraine has firmly reject-
volving Russia and several ed that, along with a Chi-
Central Asian nations, India nese peace proposal that
and, most recently, Belarus. makes no mention of the
That is seen as creating a return of Ukrainian territory
bulwark against Western to the government in Kyiv.
influence in the region, China and Russia have
but also tensions over rising closely aligned their for-
Chinese influence in what eign policies to oppose the
Russia considers its politi- West, even as Russia grows
cal backyard made up of increasingly reliant on Chi-
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi sia, with which it shares a former parts of the Soviet na as a purchaser of its oil
Jinping shake hands during their meeting on the sidelines of the single-party system under Union, which included Be- and gas that make up the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana, President Alexander Lu- larus.
Kazakhstan, July 3, 2024. bulk of its foreign trade.q
Associated Press
By KEN MORITSUGU enabler of the war through
Associated Press its “no-limits partnership”
BEIJING (AP) — China ac- with Russia and its large-
cused NATO on Thursday scale support for Russia’s
of seeking security at the defense industrial base.
expense of others and told Lin said China’s trade with
the alliance not to bring Russia is legitimate and
the same “chaos” to Asia, reasonable and based on
a reflection of its determi- World Trade Organization
nation to oppose strength- rules.
ening ties between NATO He said NATO’s “so-called
members and Asian na- security” comes at the
tions such as Japan, South cost of the security of oth-
Korea and the Philippines. er countries. China has
The statement by a For- backed Russia’s conten-
eign Ministry spokesperson tion that NATO expansion
came a day after NATO posed a threat to Russia,
labeled China a “decisive whose attack on Ukraine
enabler” of Russia’s war has only strengthened the
against Ukraine. alliance, leading to Swe-
“NATO hyping up China’s den and Finland becoming
responsibility on the Ukraine formal members.
issue is unreasonable China has expressed con-
and has sinister motives,” cern about NATO’s bud-
spokesperson Lin Jian said ding relationships with
at a daily briefing. He main- countries in the Indo-Pa-
tained that China has a fair cific region. Australia, New
and objective stance on Zealand, Japan and South
the Ukraine issue. Korea sent their leaders or
China has broken with the deputies to the NATO sum-
United States and its Euro- mit this week.
pean allies over the war “China urges NATO to ...
in Ukraine, refusing to con- stop interfering in China’s
demn Russia’s invasion or internal politics and smear-
even to refer to it as an act ing China’s image and not
of aggression in deference create chaos in the Asia-
to Moscow. Its trade with Pacific after creating tur-
Russia has grown since the moil in Europe,” Lin said.
invasion, at least partially Chinese troops are in Be-
offsetting the impact of larus this week for joint
Western sanctions. drills near the border with
NATO, in a statement issued Poland, a NATO member.
at a summit in Washington, The exercises are the first
said China has become an with Belarus, an ally of Rus-