BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) recent rhetoric against China, epitomized by its Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's remarks at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., reflects the Cold War relic's enduring reliance on fear-mongering and scapegoating to justify its existence.

Stoltenberg's claim that "China is fueling the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II" is not only a blatant disregard of the facts but also a botched attempt to distract attention from NATO's destabilizing role in the world.

Such a smear campaign against China reveals NATO's hypocrisy, especially given the military alliance's own history of unprovoked military interventions and violations of international law.

As an anachronistic relic of the Cold War, NATO's expansionist policies and interventionist actions have often exacerbated global tensions rather than alleviated them.

Inch by inch, the hegemonic bloc has wantonly expanded eastward, eating away at the security space of those outside the bloc in pursuit of absolute security and ignoring the legitimate concerns of others, particularly Russia, and has brought them to the brink of confrontation, as evidenced by the Ukraine crisis.

China is not a creator of or a participant in the Ukraine crisis and has consistently worked towards mediation and peace talks. Despite NATO's blame shifting, China's impartial position and its constructive role have been widely recognized by the international community.

Furthermore, the trade between China and Russia adheres to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and market principles, targeting no third parties. China does not supply weapons to warring parties and strictly controls dual-use items.

On the contrary, NATO member states have increased their armaments and conducted military exercises in an increasingly larger scale, severely impacting regional peace and stability. Their escalating military support for Ukraine has also further fueled the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

During his speech at the Wilson Center, Stoltenberg said that he has invited the leaders of several Asian countries to the NATO Summit in Washington in July. Echoing Washington's talking-points, Stoltenberg also claimed to "work closely with our friends in the Indo-Pacific."

This attempted expansion into Asia is emblematic of NATO's enduring Cold War mentality and raises serious concerns about the alliance's role in undermining the regional peace.

The Asia-Pacific region neither welcomes nor needs an Asia-Pacific version of NATO. NATO's expansion into the Asia-Pacific will only heighten geopolitical risks, and threaten the region's decades-long prosperity and stability.

NATO has outlived its usefulness and has become nothing more than a weapon for Washington. Far from being a force for peace and stability, it has become an instrument for exporting chaos and fear-mongering. ■