NATO / EU wishes to do up two front conflicts, apparently
bloomberg.com
NATO-China Tension Over Ukraine Flares at Conference in Iceland
Alliance official calls out refusal to condemn Russia invasion Chinese diplomat says ‘root cause’ must be taken into account
Danielle Bochove
October 16, 2022, 4:44 AM GMT+8
A senior NATO official confronted a Chinese diplomat over China’s failure to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, injecting tension over the war into an international conference about the Arctic.
The unusually frank exchange between Admiral Rob Bauer, chair of the alliance’s Military Committee, and He Rulong, China’s ambassador to Iceland, followed a speech by Bauer on NATO’s role in the region at the annual Arctic Circle Assembly.
Bauer, a Dutch Navy officer, said China “doesn’t share our values and undermines the rules-based international order.” The Chinese envoy spoke up from the audience to challenge Bauer, saying “Admiral, with due respect, your speech and remarks is filled with arrogance.”
That prompted pushback by the NATO official.
“I have a question for you, because you underline the principle of sovereignty and the importance of the internationally recognized borders in the world,” Bauer said, drawing applause. “I am correct, isn’t that true? Yeah. So why is it possible then that China still is not condemning Russia’s attack in Ukraine?”
China’s view of the “Ukraine crisis” includes a historic perspective and the world needs to “understand the root cause,” He said, prompting scattered laughter when he called China “the peacemaker in the world.”
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