Chinese officials have warned the North Atlantic Treaty Organization against creating "chaos" in Asia, accusing the alliance of prioritizing their own security over that of other nations. The move comes as a number of NATO member states continue seeking closer ties with countries in the Indo-Pacific region, such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea.

While China has long been labeled an adversary of the West, in recent months tensions have grown due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, where the Asian nation has opted to side with the former. China has increased its cooperation with Russia, however it denied acting as an "enabler" of the conflict.

"China urges NATO to ... stop interfering in China's internal politics and smearing China's image, and not create chaos in the Asia-Pacific after creating turmoil in Europe," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said, per the Associated Press. He specifically cited the aforementioned strengthening of relations between member states and Asian nations.

"NATO should not use China to justify its insertion into the Asia-Pacific and attempt to disrupt regional dynamics," he added, per France24, claiming China was a "force for world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order."

The statement came a day after NATO declared China a "decisive enabler" in the Russia-Ukraine war during their annual summit held in Washington DC this year.

Jian also accused NATO of "hyping up China's responsibility on the Ukraine issue," suggesting the move was "unreasonable and has sinister motives." In a statement issued this week, NATO pointed out that China "cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation." The alliance called on China to "cease all material and political support to Russia’s war effort."

China has long been economically tied to Russia, and in recent months as the rest of the world pulled away from doing business with Putin's nation, Xi Jinping leaned in. As the AP reports, Chinese troops also recently made their way to Belarus, where they are taking part in a joint exercise near the Polish border, the first of its kind with the European nation.