NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Wednesday 5 April that China’s delivery of lethal equipment to Russia would be a “historic mistake”, “a big mistake with profound implications”.
“The Allies have made it clear that any lethal aid by China to Russia would be a historic mistake, with profound implications”, he said after a Council of Allied Foreign Ministers, attended by the Indo-Pacific partners and the EU High Representative.
While there is no confirmation of such assistance so far, the Secretary General said that the Allies were monitoring the situation “very closely”.
Mr Stoltenberg said the Allies’ discussions had also focused on China’s “growing” alignment with Russia, adding that both Beijing and Moscow were pushing back against the rules-based international order. “China refuses to condemn Russia’s aggression. It echoes Russian propaganda and props up the Russian economy”, stressed the Secretary General. He added that China and Russia were stepping up their joint military activities in the Indo-Pacific region.
According to Mr Stoltenberg, Russia is “increasingly dependent on China”, particularly because of Western sanctions. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)