China says it will never accept 'unfounded accusations' at NATO summit
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00:00Well, as we've been mentioning, this summit has caused another rift between China and
00:03NATO members.
00:05Beijing has warned Washington and its allies to not provoke confrontation.
00:09It comes after NATO took the unusual step of identifying China as a decisive enabler
00:14of Russia in the war with Ukraine.
00:17Accusations Beijing says are groundless.
00:19Well, for more on this story, let's bring in our international affairs editor, Philip
00:23Tow.
00:24It's good to see you, Philip.
00:25Good morning, Yinka.
00:26Accusations are much more directly critical of China than previous ones.
00:30Why is that?
00:31This is really a major departure in a different direction for NATO.
00:35They've always tried to accommodate China in the past.
00:37They've always listed it as a concern, but the remarks have always been sort of fairly
00:42bland and never been any direct accusations.
00:45All that appears to have changed right now.
00:47And if you look at this statement from NATO that was issued during the summit in Washington,
00:52it's pretty clear what they're saying.
00:54China cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively
00:59impacting its interests and reputation due to its large scale support for Russia's defence
01:05industrial base.
01:07What NATO is basically pointing the finger at here is saying that, look, although China
01:12has agreed not to sell weapons directly to the Russians so that those weapons can be
01:17used in the war in Ukraine, that hasn't happened.
01:20It's getting around that by selling spare parts, the bits that are needed to produce
01:26weapons.
01:27I'll give you a list.
01:28Computer chips, advanced software, components needed for Russia to rebuild a defence industrial
01:32base that has churned out faulty or outdated equipment, and then also worried about increased
01:38cyber attacks, misinformation and the nuclear development that's taking place in China.
01:43All of that has, I think, drawn the attention to the fact that this is something that has
01:47to be frontally addressed to the Chinese, and that's why we've seen these reactions
01:52from NATO at this summit.
01:55Concern that China is really getting together with Iran, with Russia, with North Korea to
01:59try to create this revisionist alliance, which is completely opposite to that of NATO and
02:06the West.
02:07And that is why there is this concern, I think, amongst NATO members.
02:11And what's the reaction been from China and what's its long term plan here?
02:14Well, it's been a violent reaction.
02:16The Chinese have come out with two very strong statements, there have been several of them,
02:21but I think the two of the strongest.
02:22One of them is from the foreign minister who says China will never accept the unfounded
02:26accusations made against it at the NATO summit in Washington.
02:29And another reaction from the Chinese mission to the European Union saying the declaration
02:34of the NATO summit in Washington is full of belligerent rhetoric and the China related
02:39content has provocations, lies, incitement and smears.
02:43So obviously in Beijing, this is not being accepted.
02:47Beijing now facing the prospect of sanctions.
02:51And that is something else that I think NATO is discussing or will be discussing.
02:57The United States has put forward all of these ideas.
03:00The Treasury Department has issued an economic sanctions order against certain Chinese companies
03:05that it sees as getting around this ban on selling weapons to the Russians.
03:12And they say that if basically if the Chinese don't change the way they're operating towards
03:19Russia, then there could be more sanctions on the way.
03:23And all of this at a time when NATO is face to face with the prospect of Donald Trump
03:26being re-elected maybe in November and funding for the Ukraine war and Ukraine knocking on
03:32the door wanting to become a member.
03:33So there is a lot on the agenda that NATO has to deal with in the coming months.
03:38And I think primary concern is where the funding is going to be if Donald Trump regains power
03:43in the White House in November.
03:44Philip Tull, our international affairs editor, thanks so much for your insights and analysis.