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NATO views the proximity of Russia and China as a threat. The alliance is now focused on making new friends in the Indo-Pacific. Photo/REUTERS
TOKYO – Secretary General NATO Jens Stoltenberg said Russia’s increasing cooperation with China and their assertiveness pose a threat not only to Asia but also to Europe.
It comes as NATO seeks stronger cooperation and more “friends” in the Indo-Pacific region.
Stoltenberg said China was increasingly investing in nuclear weapons and long-range missiles without providing transparency or engaging in meaningful dialogue about nuclear arms control.
That, he continued, Beijing was doing while increasing coercion against its neighbors and threats against Taiwan.
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“The fact that Russia and China are getting closer and the significant investment by China and new advanced military capabilities only underscores that China poses a threat, poses a challenge also to NATO allies,” Stoltenberg told an audience at Keio University in Tokyo.
“Security is not regional but global,” he said, as quoted by CBS News, Friday (3/2/2023).
“NATO needs to make sure we have friends,” he said. “It’s important to work more closely with our partners in the Indo-Pacific.”
Calling it a critical moment for NATO and for Japan, Stoltenberg said China and Russia are leading the authoritarian rejection of the international rules-based order.
Stoltenberg said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s victory in his war in Ukraine would send a message that authoritarian regimes can achieve their goals through violence. “This is dangerous,” he said.
