China firmly opposes "slander and scapegoating" by NATO, the Chinese embassy in Britain said on Wednesday. The reaction comes in response to comments by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who earlier this week expressed concern about the rapid modernization of China's armed forces, Reuters reports, BTA reports.
„NATO must correct its misperceptions about China, stop instilling "security through alarm" and use China as an excuse for its own military buildup and undermining global and regional security“, a spokesman for the Chinese diplomatic mission in London said in an official statement.
Rutte's remarks were made on Monday at an event hosted by the Chatham House think tank. According to a speech released by NATO, he stressed that China, in cooperation with Russia, North Korea and Iran, is “modernizing and expanding its military at breakneck speed“.
The Chinese government has regularly responded sharply to criticism from NATO and Western allies, who suspect Beijing of seeking to reshape the established international order through military and economic power. Tensions between Beijing and NATO have been rising amid a deepening strategic partnership between China and Russia.