China blasted NATO as an “abuser of international law” and invoked a painful, decades-old episode after being pressed by the alliance to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The sharp response from the Chinese diplomatic mission to the European Union came after NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said China has an “obligation” to condemn the three-week-old invasion. In a statement, the Chinese mission recalled NATO’s 1999 bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade that killed three Chinese journalists.
“We need no lecture on justice from the abuser of international law,” the mission said. “As a Cold War remnant and the world’s largest military alliance, NATO continues to expand its geographical scope and range of operations. What kind of role has it played in world peace and stability? NATO needs to have good reflection.”
The 1999 bombing, which came as NATO sought to drive Yugoslavian forces out of Kosovo, was carried out by the United States. Then-President Bill Clinton apologized for the fact that the embassy was accidentally hit by five missiles. China called it a “barbarian act” at the time, and Thursday’s statement showed Beijing’s anger remains.
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“We will never forget who bombed our embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,” China said in the statement.
The terse response will do little to ease concerns that China is lending tacit support to Moscow in its attack on Ukraine. China and Russia appeared to cement their ties just prior to Russia’s invasion, issuing a lengthy joint statement denouncing NATO, vowing to implement a new world order, and asserting their alliance has “no limits.”
Stoltenberg was seeking to peel China away from Moscow as international outrage grows at Russia’s targeting of civilians in Ukraine. He said NATO is “closely monitoring” signs of support from China to Russia, and he warned Russia could use chemical weapons in the war.
“China has an obligation as a member of the U.N. Security Council to actually support and uphold international law, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a blatant violation of the international law, so we call on [China] to clearly condemn the invasion and to not support Russia,” Stoltenberg said.
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“And we are also very vigilant about the possibility of them trying to stage some kind of pretext, false flag operation to provide an excuse for any type of use of chemical weapons,” the Brussels diplomat added.
