For NATO, Russia is the number one threat. But China is also coming into the military alliance’s sights
For the first time, the defense alliance is taking a closer look at China. It was said at the summit in Madrid on June 28th, that the People’s Republic is a strategic challenge. NATO is particularly concerned about the growing cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.
New threats require new strategies – also for NATO. To respond to the increased threat level since Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and the global challenges posed by China, the defense alliance has presented a new strategic vision for the first time in more than a decade. The “mission statement”, unveiled at the Madrid summit, is intended to guide the alliance’s defense posture, military direction and spending.
The last strategy paper of this kind appeared twelve years ago, in 2010, when it was formulated in a much more optimistic way with a view to a post-Soviet Russia and relied on a “genuine strategic partnership” with Moscow, it said. That time is now over. “There is no peace in the Euro-Atlantic area”, the new concept states. “The Russian Federation has violated the norms and principles that have contributed to a stable and predictable European security order. We cannot rule out the possibility of an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of allies”. So the new document definitely uses different words, it is about threat and deterrence. About armament and rearmament. The number of NATO soldiers ready for deployment within a short time is to be multiplied. NATO’s rapid reaction force will be completely rebuilt, the Secretary General announced earlier last week, with more than 300 thousand soldiers on high readiness.
But while the NATO summit – like the G7 summit before it – was dominated by the Ukraine war, China has now also come into focus.
Nato summit : China not an adversary, but a “challenge”
For the first time, the new concept describes China as a direct challenge to the defense alliance. At U.S.s urging, member states pledge to confront the global ambitions of the People’s Republic. Literally, it says China’s “stated ambitions and coercive actions challenge our interests, security and values”.
The statement accuses Beijing of controlling key technology and industrial sectors, critical infrastructure, and strategic materials and supply chains. The country uses its economic influence to create strategic dependencies and expand its influence, the statement said. “It seeks to undermine the rules-based international order, including in the areas of space, cyber, and maritime”. In addition, the confrontational rhetoric and disinformation is directed against allies and therefore harms alliance security, it said. But on some level let’s not forget, China taking the lead on these markets was much to the West’s liking until now. Cheap prices and labour being a very appreciated advantage to the western companies and their respective economies for decades.
“We are now facing an era of strategic competition…China is significantly expanding its forces, including in nuclear weapons, and bullying its neighbors, including Taiwan”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed at the Madrid summit. “China is not our adversary, but we must keep a clear eye on the serious challenges it poses”.
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson also urged that lessons be learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and that extra vigilance should be exercised ahead of possible Chinese attacks against Taiwan. His foreign secretary, Liz Truss, went even further, calling for swifter action to help Taiwan with defensive weapons. “There is always a tendency – and we saw this before the Ukraine war – (…) to wishful thinking, to hope that more bad things don’t happen, and to wait until it’s too late”, Truss warned.
Russia remains threat number one
Still, for NATO, one thing is certain: Russia remains the greatest and most immediate threat to the security of allies and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. President Putin’s war against Ukraine has shaken peace in Europe and triggered the biggest security crisis in Europe since World War II. In the course of this, two important measures were decided :
First, a massive rearmament in the east, and second, the expansion of the alliance to the north. Accordingly, the number of soldiers in high readiness is to be increased from 40 to 300 thousand, and at the same time more heavy weapons are to be moved to the Baltic States and Poland. The U.S. also pledged to further expand its troop presence in Europe. “Together with our allies, we will ensure that NATO is able to meet threats from all directions and in all domains – on land, in the air and at sea”, U.S. President Joe Biden announced.
And second, after weeks of blocking by Turkey, the green light was given for Finland and Sweden to join as new members. A decision described by Stoltenberg as historic that will extend the alliance’s border with Russia by more than 1300 kilometers. However, it will likely be several months before the two countries are actually members of the alliance.
The new strategic concept states, “Given their hostile policies and actions, we cannot consider the Russian Federation as our partner”. Relations could improve only when Moscow ceases its aggressive behavior and fully complies with international law, it said. Nevertheless, they are ready to keep the channels of communication open with the Kremlin.
Beijing and Moscow – even more dangerous when united
NATO therefore views with great concern specifically the growing cooperation between Beijing and Moscow. “The deepening of the strategic partnership between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation and their mutually reinforcing attempts to undermine the rules-based international order run counter to our values and interests”, the strategy paper says.
The alienation of Russia and China isn’t the diplomatic way. It strengthens their bond against the West, this will only come bite NATO in the tail some day. When the day comes the west can’t act surprised. And this phenomenon already started.
Right after the summit, the Chinese state media are in propagandistic top form : NATO is a serious threat to world peace, writes the state news agency Xinhua. NATO is now setting the course for expansion into the Asia-Pacific region as well. NATO is a product of the Cold War, says Foreign Office spokesman Wang Wenbin. It is an instrument used by the U.S. to maintain its dominance and control the security of Europe. Completely ignoring the disrupted peace in Europe and the destruction in Ukraine, they are showing a lot of empathy for Russia who is, as they say, just trying preserve its own safety against NATO.
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_196951.htm
By The European Institute for International Law and International Relations.
