BRUSSELS (Kyodo) -- The top diplomat of the European Union has warned that China's "material and diplomatic" support for Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine is posing a "direct threat" to Europe's security.

"China's increasing exports of large amounts of dual-use goods and items substantially help the build-up of Russia's military industrial base," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a recent written interview with Kyodo News.

Borrell also referred to North Korea's support for Russia's war against Ukraine as illustrating "how closely linked European security is to that of the Indo-Pacific."

Describing the EU and Japan as "very close strategic partners," Borrell said they must find a way "to work even closer together to find adequate responses in promotion of stability in all regions and hotspots and to work closely in multilateral fora to defend our principles."

The EU and Japan, members of the Group of Seven, have imposed economic sanctions, including asset freezes, on Russia over its war in Ukraine since 2022. China has not joined them, importing crude oil, liquefied natural gas and other items from Russia.

The G7 nations have urged China to cease transferring dual-use materials to Russia. Dual-use items included advanced semiconductors and quantum computers.

Borrell also called for promoting cooperation with Japan and like-minded nations in the face of the Russian war against Ukraine and other security threats.

The EU "will continue to respond swiftly to third countries' support to Russia's war machine," he said.

Questions for the written interview were given ahead of an announcement by Japan and the EU on Friday regarding their security and defense partnership agreement.

Borrell said the EU and Japan will consult on defense initiatives such as exchanging information on the "overall resilience of supply chains" and other defense industry-related matters.