On November 6, the Russian Foreign Ministry spoke strongly after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Russia is coordinating with China and other countries to break " global rules".
Russia said the accusation was unfounded and reflected NATO's dual standards in international affairs.
Writing on Telegram, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova questioned which "global rules" NATO was mentioning, and suggested that the military alliance publish a clear list on its website.
She said NATO is the new party that frequently violates international law, referring to the NATO bombing of Southern Russia in 1999 and the US-led war in Iraq in 2003.
Ms. Zakharova emphasized that despite the accusations from NATO, member countries of this alliance continue to maintain cooperation with China. She said that there was a recent summit between the US and China, but she did not see Mr. Rutte criticize US President Donald Trump for this event.
The NATO statement was made at the NATO Industrial Forum in Bucharest, Romania. Mr. Rutte said that Russia "is not alone in trying to break global rules", and named China, North Korea and Iran. According to him, these countries are enhancing cooperation in the defense industry at an unprecedented level and are preparing for a long-term confrontation.
Previously, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that NATO is expanding its scope of operations beyond the European - Atlantic region. Mr. Lavrov said that the West is trying to curb China, isolate Russia and confront North Korea.
China has repeatedly denied Western accusations of military assistance to Russia over the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia insists NATO is using the "global rule" momentum to conceal unilateral actions and expand influence. By counter-attacking Mr. Rutte, Moscow continued to send the message that this military alliance has no right to impose standards on other countries.
