China says the Russia-friendly states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) must be an “anchor of stability” in times of international unrest.

Defence Minister Dong Jun made the comments at a meeting with his counterparts from the SCO countries in the coastal city of Qingdao in eastern China. The People’s Republic is prepared to resolutely defend international justice together with these states, he said.

The meeting in Qingdao took place almost simultaneously with the NATO summit in the Dutch city of The Hague.

At the summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday the NATO countries committed themselves to investing 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) in defence and security every year from 2035 at the latest – more than at any time since the Cold War.

China’s Foreign Ministry sharply criticized the decision. NATO is increasing international tensions and slandering China’s military build-up as a pretext to expand its borders and advance eastward and into the Pacific region, spokesman Guo Jiakun said in Beijing.

If NATO cares about security in Europe and the world, it should stop fuelling confrontation, he added.

Russia, China and Central Asian states such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan initially founded the SCO in 2001 to combat terrorism and promote economic cooperation. It now comprises 10 countries, including Iran, India, Pakistan and Belarus.