Jens Stoltemberg, the head of the Western military-political alliance NATO, told the BBC that if China does not change its policy, it should face the consequences for supporting Russia in the war with Ukraine.
Stoltenberg says that Beijing is playing on two fronts - it supports Russia's war actions, but at the same time maintains relations with European countries.
"It cannot work in the long term," Stoltenberg told the BBC during a visit to Washington.
In the interview, Stoltenberg addressed nuclear weapons and defense spending.
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His comments came at a time when Russia is showing no signs of easing its war against Ukraine.
At a peace summit in Switzerland over the weekend, dozens of countries pledged to support Kiev, but Russia said it was a waste of time and would only agree to peace talks if Ukraine essentially surrendered.
When asked what NATO members can do about China's support for Russia, Stoltenberg said that "discussions are underway" about possible sanctions.
He said that China "trafficks in technology, [such as] microelectronics, which is critical to Russia and making the missiles and weapons it uses against Ukraine."
"At some stage, we should consider some kind of economic punishment if China does not change its behavior," the NATO chief added.
Beijing is already under sanctions for its support of Russia - last month the US announced restrictions that will target around 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong.
China denies selling weapons to Russia.
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Stoltenberg's visit to the USA coincided with the departure of the Russian president to North Korea.
Since it began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has been under extensive sanctions from Western countries.
Putin has repeatedly said that the balance of power in the West is changing and that he has been working to strengthen ties with like-minded people.
"Russia is increasingly aligning itself with authoritarian leaders," Stoltenberg told the BBC, citing Iran, Beijing and North Korea.
He said North Korea sent artillery shells to Russia, and in return Russia provided advanced technology for their missile and nuclear programs.
"So North Korea is helping Russia wage a war of aggression against Ukraine."
The head of NATO also said that it is expected that more than 20 member countries of the alliance will meet the goal of two percent defense spending this year, which would be the highest since the plan was established in 2014.
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Stoltenberg also spoke of earlier comments suggesting NATO may be considering increasing the number of deployable warheads as a deterrent against growing threats from Russia and China.
It is a "general message" that NATO is a nuclear alliance and that any attack on a NATO member "will trigger a response from the entire alliance," he said.
"The purpose of NATO is not to wage war, but to prevent it," the head of NATO claims.
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