China is open to dialogue and exchanges with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday, stressing that the communication should be based on equality and mutual respect.
He made the remarks during a virtual meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
"China has not been and will not be a rival to NATO," Wang stressed.
China firmly pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature and is committed to peaceful development, he said.
China will never seek hegemony, expansion or a sphere of influence and is ready to share development dividends with other countries, he added.
Noting that in recent years, some NATO member countries sent ships and aircraft to China, Wang said that there is no need for the establishment of new military blocs in the Asia-Pacific region.
"There should be no more confrontation between major powers, still less should there be cliques aimed at agitating for a new Cold War," he said, stressing that NATO should stick to its geographic orientation and play a constructive role in regional peace, stability and development.
Stoltenberg said that NATO does not regard China as an adversary and is ready to develop constructive relations with China on the basis of mutual respect and without preconditions.
Both sides agreed that the video meeting was positive and constructive and would like to make good use of the existing dialogue mechanism and promote practical cooperation in counter-terrorism, anti-piracy, cyberspace and international peacekeeping.
