Beijing lashes back at NATO's anti-China communiqué, says it will protect its rights

China has categorically opposed NATO’s eastward movement into the Asia-Pacific region, warning it will give a resolute response to any threat to its legitimate rights.

The warning came in a statement issued on Tuesday by China's mission to the European Union following a NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius where the US-led Western military alliance lashed out at Beijing.

NATO said in a strongly worded communiqué earlier in the day that the People's Republic of China (PRC) challenged its interests, security and values with its "ambitions and coercive policies.”

"The PRC employs a broad range of political, economic, and military tools to increase its global footprint and project power while remaining opaque about its strategy, intentions and military build-up," NATO heads of state said in their communiqué.

"The PRC's malicious hybrid and cyber operations and its confrontational rhetoric and disinformation target Allies and harm Alliance security."

The Chinese mission rejected the military alliance’s alleged concerns over what it described as China’s ambitions and coercive policies.

It said the NATO communiqué disregards basic facts, distorts China's position and policies, and deliberately discredits China.

The statement said Beijing will firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.

 It also accused NATO of ignoring basic facts, deliberately distorting Beijing's policies, and smearing China.

"We firmly oppose and reject this," it said.

The mission stressed that NATO's repeated declarations of being a nuclear alliance in its communiqué will further exacerbate tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.

China has repeatedly warned against “NATO’s continued eastward foray into the Asia-Pacific and interference in regional affairs.”

It said the Western military alliance’s activities “will inevitably undermine regional peace and stability and stoke camp competition.”

Beijing has warned against the establishment of an “Asia-Pacific version of NATO” and made clear its opposition to any foreign military involvement in the region.

Last month, in a survey, more than 90 percent of respondents in a global survey strongly oppose NATO's involvement in the Asia-Pacific region, describing the US-led Western military alliance’s activities in the region as cause for great alarm.

Ninety-three percent of the respondents strongly agreed that the actions of NATO in recent years have violated its stated defense position.

More than 92 percent believe NATO has become a tool for the US to maintain hegemony and pursue political interests, according to the poll.

"NATO stirs up trouble everywhere and keeps interfering in the affairs of other regions, which will only end up with its own consequences,” said a respondent, as cited by CGTN.

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