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China’s economic support for Russia during the war in Ukraine brought the security of the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic closer than ever before, NATO boss Mark Rutte says, warning the two regions must co-operate to address the threat Beijing poses.

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“It’s absolutely clear that we cannot be naive about China,” says Rutte, secretary-general of the North Atlantic alliance, which comprises 30 European states as well as the US and Canada.

“We know that [China] helps and supports the Russians’ warfare through war effort, through sanction circumvention, through delivery of dual-use goods. They are an integral part of the war effort.

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While China maintains its official position of neutrality towards the Ukraine conflict, its actions say otherwise. Ukraine’s capture on Tuesday of two Chinese citizens who, along with four others, were fighting as mercenaries in the country’s east grabbed global headlines, but it is the critical role of Beijing exports in Russia’s arms industry that has kept its war machine ticking.

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Vehicles, machine tools and raw materials such as ball bearings and strategic minerals have become indispensable to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war efforts. Chinese cars and trucks have filled the void left by the sanctions-enforced departure of Western auto makers from Russia.

Official Chinese customs data shows a sharp increase in exports to Russia, with the total value of goods exceeding $US80 billion ($133 billion) last year – double what it was in 2021, the year before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, as part of the so-called Indo-Pacific 4, have stood steadfast with NATO allies since Russia invaded Ukraine. The nations’ leaders have gathered at every major NATO summit and meeting since.

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