Beijing: Beijing on Thursday called on NATO to discard what it called its 'Cold War mentality' against China. 'NATO is a regional alliance for defense with a clearly defined scope of mission and geographic boundaries. It needs to stop finding fault with China,' Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing. Mao said China 'is a force for world peace. It never threatens anyone nor does it pose any challenge to Euro-Atlantic security.'

According to Anadolu Agency, Mao emphasized that NATO should abandon the outdated Cold War mindset and reassess its perception of China. She urged the alliance to stop promoting narratives that portray China as a threat. This statement followed a meeting where NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte engaged with officials from the Asia-Pacific region during a NATO summit in Trkiye.

The meeting in Ankara included South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Australian Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy, and New Zealand Defense Minister Chris Penk. Although these countries are not NATO members, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan have been participating in the alliance's annual summits as guest nations since 2022.