Whether it was at the G7 meet or later at the meeting of the NATO leaders, China took center stage. While the G7 summit at Cornwall in the U.K. didn’t directly refer to China while talking about various measures that were clearly aimed at the Asian giant, NATO was more direct.

After the NATO meeting at Brussels on Monday, a communique said, “China’s stated ambitions and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security.” It accused China of “rapidly expanding” its nuclear arsenal being opaque in implementing its military modernization and its publicly declared military-civil fusion strategy. [https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_185000.htm]

China’s response was swift. While accusing NATO of continuing the “Cold War mentality mixed with group politics”, it said that NATO was “misjudging the international situation and its own role.” China chose to respond through a spokesperson of its European Union (EU) mission.

While asserting that it didn’t pose any “systemic challenges” to others, it also said that it will “not sit idly in the face of any systemic challenges.” [https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202106/1226163.shtml]

China’s response to G7 was also aggressive with observers in China saying that the significance of the G7’s narrative about China was “more symbolic than practical” and that China need not take them seriously.

Chinese media opinion-makers who are Communist Party sympathizers have accused NATO of making China an “imaginary enemy”. As one commentator put it, “China is the world’s second-largest economy, is never easy prey for any wolf.” [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202106/15/WS60c84868a31024ad0bac6d83.html

China is not taking it lying down.

Read more:

Beijing tells NATO to stop hyping up China threat:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57479969

‘NATO countries shouldn’t be politically exploited by Washington’
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202106/1226141.shtml

China on G7 summit:
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202106/1226135.shtml