Wang Yi hits back at 'groundless accusations' by Nato
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China does not accept the groundless accusations made at the recent Nato summit in Washington against Beijing. During a phone call with his Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp, Wang said Nato should stay within its bounds and refrain from interfering in China's or Asia-Pacific affairs, and from challenging Beijing's legitimate rights and interests. The foreign minister said China and Nato countries have different political systems and values, but this should not be a reason for the alliance to "instigate confrontation with China". Wang added that Beijing is willing to maintain contact with Nato on "an equal footing" and conduct exchanges on the basis of mutual respect. Nato has accused China of playing a key role in helping Russia's assault on Ukraine. On ties between China and the Netherlands, Wang said Beijing is willing to strengthen cooperation with Amsterdam to jointly safeguard the stability of global industrial and supply chains. Veldkamp said the Dutch side does not support "decoupling" from China and is willing to maintain communication with Beijing. (Xinhua, with additional reporting by Reuters)