“We express strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the US side’s erroneous remarks,” Xinhua quoted Mr. Lam as saying at the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s daily press briefing.
Lam's remarks came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's accusation at the NATO Summit, as well as NATO's statement on Wednesday that China was the "decisive enabler" of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Mr. Lin Jian, Spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also reiterated the language in the statement that “China cannot continue to fuel the largest military conflict in Europe without compromising Beijing’s interests and reputation.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson explained that immediately after the Ukraine crisis broke out, the US claimed that China was providing military assistance to Russia. To this day, the US has not provided any substantial evidence.
“Statistics show that more than 60 percent of Russia’s imported military components and paramilitary items come from the United States and other Western countries, 95 percent of Russia’s key components destroyed by Ukraine come from the West, and 72 percent of Russian-made weapon parts in the West come from U.S. companies. How does the United States explain that?” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
“Moreover, the US and its allies have not stopped trading with Russia. Last year, their trade with Russia reached more than 130 billion US dollars, accounting for 18% of Russia's foreign trade. Most countries in the world have not joined the sanctions against Russia or stopped trading with Russia,” Lam further explained.
“Who is the culprit behind the Ukraine crisis? Who is behind the regional conflicts and wars and the prolonged crisis? Who is the biggest source of instability to global peace and stability? The world has understood clearly,” Lam added.
The spokesperson added that China will continue to take resolute measures to safeguard its legitimate and lawful rights. China has previously repeatedly criticized NATO and warned against its expansion into the Indo-Pacific region.
Huy Hoang (according to Xinhua News Agency, BNG China, Reuters)
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