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China blames US-led Nato for tensions on Russian border with Ukraine
- ‘Nato enlargement is an issue that cannot be overlooked’, China’s permanent UN envoy tells Security Council
- China supports all efforts conducive to easing the tensions, Zhang Jun tells meeting on Ukraine situation
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China has blamed Nato expansions for the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, which have the world on edge over fears of an imminent escalation to war.
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Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, backed Russia’s position on Thursday, citing legitimate concerns over the enlargement of the 30-nation North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).
“Everything happens for a reason. Nato enlargement is an issue that cannot be overlooked when dealing with the current tensions related to Ukraine,” Zhang told a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Eastern European nation.
“Nato’s continuous expansion in the wake of the Cold War runs counter to the trend of our times, that is to maintain common security,” he said, according to a readout from the Chinese mission.
“One country’s security cannot be at the expense of the security of others. By the same token, regional security should not rely on muscling up or even expanding military blocs.”
This comes amid massive Russian troop build-ups near the Ukrainian border for weeks as Moscow demands sweeping security assurances from Nato, including stopping its eastward expansion and denying membership to Kyiv.
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