NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has said the military alliance is preparing to act against China, declaring it a threat to security and democracy.

He told a press conference on Tuesday that Nato planned to deepen its connections with Asian allies to deal with the challenge posed by Beijing.

Mr Stoltenberg said he will convene a meeting of the foreign ministers of Nato member states along with those from Finland, Sweden, Georgia and the European Union.

Representatives from Australia, New Zealand and South Korea have also been invited to attend the gathering, which will discuss China’s “growing influence and coercive policies on the global stage which pose a systemic challenge to our security and to our democracies.

“We see that China has been unwilling to condemn Russia’s aggression and has joined Moscow in questioning the right of nations to choose their own path,” Mr Stoltenberg said. 

China has been urged to “pick a side” in the Russia-Ukraine conflict by US President Joe Biden, who has threatened Beijing with consequences if it supports Moscow either militarily or economically. 

But China has insisted on remaining neutral, saying it will be a force for peace, and has offered to mediate if necessary.

Beijing has previously denied deliberately circumventing sanctions imposed on Russia by the US and European countries. It opposes economic restrictions, with Chinese government spokesman Wang Luting warning that “the effects of these sanctions also risk spilling to the rest of the world.

“Even Europe has been conducting normal business with Russians.

“We are contributing to the global economy by maintaining the normal trade [with Russia], to avoid any possible disruption of the supply and industrial chains,” he said. 

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has accused Washington of being behind a plot to oust him over his failure to condemn Russia and his criticism of US foreign policy. 

India has also felt the wrath of the US over its continued trade with Russia and failure to fall into line with Western imperialist powers. 

But the US has been accused of hypocrisy for pressing the EU and its allies to block Russian oil while increasing its own imports from Moscow by 43 per cent to 100,000 barrels per day over the past week.