A picture taken on Nov 20, 2019 shows a NATO flag at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, during a NATO Foreign Affairs ministers' summit. (KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)

BEIJING - NATO, as the world's largest military alliance, should abandon the outdated Cold War mentality and ideological bias, and do things that are conducive to upholding peace and stability, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks when asked to comment on US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman's remarks that Russia's proposed limit on the expansion of NATO further into Eastern Europe is a "non-starter," and that the US "will not allow anyone to slam closed NATO's open door policy."

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said NATO is a Cold War remnant and its expansion is typical bloc politics, noting that China firmly opposes all kinds of small cliques, and rejects the beggar-thy-neighbor approach and efforts to stoke geopolitical conflicts

Zhao said NATO is a Cold War remnant and its expansion is typical bloc politics, noting that China firmly opposes all kinds of small cliques, and rejects the beggar-thy-neighbor approach and efforts to stoke geopolitical conflicts.

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China champions a new thinking on common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and believes that all countries and their people should enjoy security together and jointly rise up to all kinds of problems and challenges, he said.

"We hope all relevant sides can fully consider each other's legitimate security concerns, avoid antagonism and confrontation, and properly address differences and disputes through equal consultation on the basis of mutual respect," he said. 

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