China Slams NATO for “Stoking Confrontation,” Urges End to Cold War Mentality

BEIJING — China sharply criticized NATO on Thursday, accusing the alliance of escalating global tensions and clinging to an outdated Cold War mindset. The rebuke followed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s recent comments labeling China, along with North Korea and Iran, as key supporters of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

“If NATO truly cares about security in Europe and the world, it should stop fanning the flames and stoking confrontation,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun during a live-streamed press conference. Guo denounced Rutte’s remarks as an attempt to “vilify China’s normal military development” and justify NATO’s expansion beyond its defined regional scope.

Guo warned that NATO’s push for a 5% defense spending target—endorsed at this week’s summit in the Netherlands—is part of a broader strategy to build a “more lethal NATO” with ambitions in the Asia-Pacific. He cited NATO’s combined 2024 military expenditure as 55% of global defense spending and accused the bloc of using Eurasian connectivity as a pretext to encroach into Asia.

Separately, China’s Defense Ministry also condemned the U.S. for approving $500 million in military assistance to Taiwan for 2026. Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang urged Washington to respect the “one-China principle” and cease “sending wrong signals” to separatist forces. Beijing reiterated that it will “firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security, development, and interests.”