If China wants to build strong ties with the West, it must stop supporting Russia: NATO

Berlin: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Beijing in unusually strong terms that it cannot have it both ways and that China must cease backing Russia’s conflict in Ukraine if it wants to have good ties with the West.

On a visit to Berlin, the head of the Western military alliance said that Beijing’s support was essential to Moscow’s war effort because Beijing was providing high-end technology, such as semiconductors, to support Russia’s war economy.

90% of Russia’s microelectronics, which are needed to make missiles, tanks, and airplanes, were imported from China last year. Additionally, China is striving to provide Russia better imaging and satellite capabilities,” said Stoltenberg.

“China declares its desire for positive ties with the West. Beijing is also responsible for the biggest military confrontation in Europe since World War Two. He cautioned, “They can’t have it both ways.

Western allies were advised by Stoltenberg not to become as reliant on China as they had been on Russia.

“In the past, we made the mistake of becoming dependent on Russian oil and gas,” he said.

“We can’t let China make the same mistake again. Dependencies on resources such as money, raw commodities, and technology leave us exposed.”

Since the United States and its allies placed sanctions on both Russia and China in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, China has bolstered its military and commercial relations with Russia.

Chinese customs statistics indicates that commerce between China and Russia reached a record $240.1 billion in 2023, up 26.3% from the previous year. In 2023, Chinese exports to Russia increased by 46.9%, while Russian imports increased by 13%.

In what may be his first foreign trip of his current presidential term, Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit China in May for discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to a story published by Reuters last month.