NATO secretary general says NATO-China ties go "very well"

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on Wednesday in Taranto that the relations between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and China are developing "very well."

The NATO chief made the remarks on the USS Roosevelt missile destroyer after a NATO naval force conducted an anti-terrorist demonstration in the Mediterranean Sea close to the Southern Italian city of Taranto.

Answering a Xinhua question at a press conference, Scheffer said NATO's relations with Chinese diplomats in Brussels are developing "in a positive manner," and the NATO-China relations are developing "very well."

"China is an important nation, we do not neglect China and China does not neglect NATO," he said.

On the question of whether NATO might invite Chinese navy to participate in NATO's military exercise just as it invited Russian and Ukrainian navies last year and this year, Scheffer explained the differences.

He said both Russia and Ukraine are NATO's partnership countries, but China is not.

"I do not expect at this stage any invitation on our side," he said.

However, NATO has always sent friendly signal to China aiming to improve bilateral relations, citing its invitation of the Chinese media to cover the military demonstration as an example.

"Your presence here is the best example," Scheffer said.

Source: Xinhua