China’s vice foreign minister reiterated blame against NATO for the war in Ukraine and criticized sanctions against Russia in a speech delivered at a conference in Beijing Saturday.
Le Yucheng said NATO was a “Cold War vestige” and that its expansion could result in “repercussions too dreadful to contemplate” from a major power like Russia.
His comments come after the U.S. President and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a conversation about the war Friday.
China has consistently blamed the security bloc, led by the U.S., as pushing things to a crisis point between Russia and Ukraine.
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Le went on also to criticize the economic sanctions against Russia.
“Sanctions against Russia are now going to such lengths that globalization is used as a weapon, even people from the sports, cultural, art and entertainment communities are not spared,” Le said.
China’s government tried to distance itself from Russia’s offensive, but has avoided the criticism many other nations have leveled at Moscow, and continues refrain from calling it an invasion.
This is a live update. Click here for complete coverage of the crisis in Ukraine.
