China Blames NATO for Fueling Ukraine War

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg claimed on Thursday that "China says it wants good relations with the West. At the same time, Beijing continues to fuel the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War Two. They cannot have it both ways."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin dismissed this as baseless rumors during a Friday briefing, according to RT.

Wang stated China did not start the Ukraine crisis and that NATO's responsibility for it was "unshiftable."

"NATO should reflect on its role, stop shifting the blame, and do something practical to promote a political settlement," he said.

Beijing argues US-led military bloc 's expansion and refusal to consider Russian security concerns triggered the hostilities.

A 2023 Chinese peace roadmap called for addressing this core issue. But Ukraine rejected an early peace deal with Moscow, opting to continue fighting with US/allied support to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia.

Moscow said Tuesday that Ukrainian military casualties since Feb 2022 neared 500,000.

Stoltenberg claimed "Russia imported 90% of its microelectronics from China...used to produce missiles, tanks and aircraft" in 2023. But Wang said Chinese trade was legitimate, adding that "more than 60% of weapons parts and dual-use items imported by Russia come from the US and the West."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, visiting Beijing, may use financial threats over China-Russia trade as leverage.

But China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned US attempts to infringe on "China's legitimate development rights" undermined relations.