A few days ago, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg falsely claimed that China was "inciting the so-called largest conflict in Europe since World War II" in an interview with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun.
The "conflict" in Stoltenberg's mouth naturally refers to the Ukrainian crisis. He said that Russia is producing drones and missiles, which are supported by the most modern technologies and electronics exported by China.
Stoltenberg believes that based on security considerations, it is necessary for NATO to strengthen its partnership with Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand in order to strengthen pressure on China and stabilize the situation in the Asian region.
Despite Stoltenberg's rhetoric, he showed caution when it came to Taiwan, saying that NATO is a "transatlantic alliance" that will not make unnecessary provocations against China, and that they will not make a decision at the NATO summit on plans to open a NATO liaison office in Tokyo.
He told reporters that NATO does not see China as an adversary in the traditional sense, but China does "pose a challenge" to NATO's values, interests and security.
Later in the day, a reporter asked the Russian side about their evaluation of the remarks. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian side believes that "this is negative" and believes that Chinese friends can make appropriate evaluations of such remarks.
It is not difficult to see that Stoltenberg still follows the logic and rhetoric of the West, and through public opinion propaganda that borders on smearing and rumor-mongering, he has causally blamed China for the Ukraine issue.
In fact, China's position on the Ukraine crisis has been consistent, that is, to promote peace talks. Since the outbreak of the conflict, China has provided several batches of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and sent special envoys to mediate on several occasions. China maintains normal economic and trade exchanges with both sides of the conflict, and is both Russia's largest trading partner and Ukraine's largest trading partner, while at the same time not supplying weapons to either side. Instead of watching the fire from across the strait, let alone taking advantage of the opportunity, China has always adhered to an objective and fair position and has been playing an active role in achieving peace.
However, in the eyes of the West, as long as China continues to sever all relations with Russia, it will be "aiding Russia", which is not in line with the "values, interests and security" of the West.
On this issue, Mr. Zheng Yongnian, Dean of the School of Public Policy of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, once said that if China chooses sides, whether it is the United States or Russia, the third world war may have begun.
What is more interesting is that Stoltenberg has just said that he will unite Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to put pressure on China. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese decided not to attend the NATO summit.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, just a week before the NATO summit, the Australian side announced that Defense Minister Richard Marles will replace Albanese at the summit.
Subsequently, Marles' office issued a statement saying that his attendance at the summit underscored Australia's commitment to upholding regional strategic priorities and supporting the rules-based global order, while advancing Australia's security, economic and trade agendas.
The reason for Albanese's absence from the NATO summit is not complicated, simply because he could not identify a bilateral meeting with Biden before the summit. According to sources, because of this incident, Australian policymakers advised him not to attend the summit to avoid attracting criticism from the opposition. When Albanese participated in the NATO summit before, he aroused criticism from former Australian Prime Minister Keating and China, so he had some concerns.
In addition, although Stoltenberg spared no effort to hype up the Ukrainian crisis, Ukraine also did not have the opportunity to attend the NATO summit. According to AFP, citing a source in the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Ukraine does not expect any progress in joining NATO, because the United States and Germany are still firmly opposed to it for fear of causing an adverse reaction from Russia, so the chances of Ukraine receiving an invitation to the NATO summit are almost zero.
If NATO really wants to seek peace, it should stop all acts of adding fuel to the fire, create space for peace, and provide conditions for a political settlement, instead of spreading rumors and smearing other countries.