Strict export control

陈小将

The spokesperson of the Chinese Mission to the EU said China is a country that keeps its word. It has never provided lethal weapons to either party of the conflict, and exercises strict export control on dual-use goods, including civilian drones.

The normal trade flows between China and Russia do not target any third party, nor should they be subject to disruption or coercion, the spokesperson said.

"The Ukraine crisis has prolonged for so long. But who is adding fuel to the fire? Who is fanning the flames? And who is seeking selfish gains? The answer is clear to everyone," the spokesperson said.

Regarding NATO's accusation of China's role in the Asia-Pacific, the spokesperson said the region is a place for peaceful development, not a wrestling ground for geopolitical competition.

"NATO should not become the disrupter of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific or a tool used by certain power to maintain hegemony," the spokesperson said.

Lin described NATO as a legacy of Cold War and bloc confrontation now disguised as an "organization of securing peace". He criticized NATO for causing chaos, citing its atrocities from former Yugoslavia to Afghanistan and Libya.

S.L. Kanthan, a geopolitical analyst in Bengaluru, India, criticized NATO's accusations of China as a scapegoat tactic to deflect from its failures in managing the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"The preposterous accusations against China now are merely excuses to start extending NATO's tentacles into Asia," he told China Daily on Thursday.

"In the loony town of Washington, war is peace, and up is down. NATO, which should have been disbanded in 1991 after the peaceful collapse of the USSR, can justify its existence only through perpetual conflicts."

Mladen Plese, a Croatian political analyst, told Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday that NATO must not become a tool of the US to implement its policies around the world, acting as the extended arm of Washington's influence.

"The United States has used NATO to implement its policies and has a decisive influence on NATO. This is not good for the European partners," Plese said. NATO is being used by the US in the Asia-Pacific region, and "does not correspond to the interests of Europe at all", he said.