A NATO flag is seen at the Alliance headquarters ahead of a NATO Defence Ministers meeting, in Brussels, Belgium, in this file photo. (PHOTO / AGENCIES)
The Chinese envoy to the United Nations emphasized on Friday that the Ukraine crisis is "related to NATO's constant eastern expansion since the Cold War", and he urged NATO to abandon the Cold War mentality and stop "being a troublemaker".
"The Ukraine crisis is, in essence, the culmination of security conflicts in Europe closely related to NATO's constant eastern expansion since the Cold War," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, said at the UN Security Council Briefing on Ukraine.
Pursuing absolute security and political exclusion and containment by force against a specific party is the very crux of the reason why Europe is in the security plight.
Zhang Jun,
China's permanent representative to the UN
"Pursuing absolute security and political exclusion and containment by force against a specific party is the very crux of the reason why Europe is in the security plight," said Zhang, adding that if following such a mindset, "Europe, and even the whole world, will be caught up in greater turmoil."
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"We once again call on Russia and Ukraine to cease fire and start peace negotiations as soon as possible. The US, EU, and NATO should also sit down with Russia for a comprehensive and in-depth dialogue," the envoy said.
"Based on the principle of security indivisibility, they should discuss how to build a balanced, effective, and sustainable security architecture and realize common security. In this context, every effort should be made to stop any attempt to hype up the conflict and to avoid its escalation and expansion," he added.
"NATO, on the one hand, claims to remain a regional defensive alliance, while on the other hand, constantly seeks to breach its geographic confines and expand its agenda, stoke division and tensions, create fears and confrontations, and keep strengthening military and security ties with Asia-Pacific countries," said Zhang. "This is obviously self-contradictory."
"We note with concern that the NATO Secretary General recently made many irresponsible and unfounded remarks on the situation of Asia-Pacific," Zhang said.
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"We urge NATO to draw lessons from history, abandon the obsolete Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation, and stop dangerous acts of creating imaginary enemies, destabilizing Europe, and messing up Asia-Pacific," he added.
"It should contribute positively to world peace and stability, instead of merely being a troublemaker," he said.
Meanwhile, Zhang said the human society is "facing unprecedented challenges, but peace development, cooperation, and mutual benefit are still an unstoppable historical trend."
"Globalization is making our global village smaller, but the world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries," the envoy said. "To strive for a bright future for humankind, all countries should pursue a just cause for common good, and promote inclusiveness, mutual learning, peaceful coexistence, and cooperation."
Zhang emphasized that there is a need to respect each other's legitimate and reasonable security concerns, "rather than cling to the Cold War mentality or engaging in bloc politics or exclusive small circles."
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"There is also a need to realize win-win cooperation by integrating to economic globalization, rather than expecting others to lose or trying to stay ahead by suppressing the development of other countries," he added.
Zhang said major country should "behave in a way commensurate with its status, and work together with others to maintain stable international relations, rather than putting the interests of their own over the common interests of the international community or seeking dominance and dictating the whole world."
The world is once again at a historical crossroads, he said. "We call on all peace-loving countries to unite under the banner of the UN, practice true multilateralism, and promote the spirit of the rule of law, so as to maintain common security, promote common development, and create a shared future," said Zhang.
