"NATO irresponsibly stated that the cooperation between Russia and China challenges the value system and interests of the alliance, which once again exposes NATO's efforts to export the Cold War mentality and recreate bloc confrontation," Zhao noted.
According to Zhao, NATO should immediately abandon "dangerous thinking", causing confusion in the world. The spokesman added that China respects sovereignty of the Arctic states as well as their sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the region, adhering to the principles of international law.
On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Stoltenberg's comments, saying that the Arctic is an area of Russian economic activity and Moscow's cooperation with China in the region poses no threat to any other country or organization.
On August 25, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the Russian-Chinese cooperation in the region did not meet alliance interests and urged the organization to boost its presence there.