NATO summit officially lists China as ‘systemic challenge’ for the first time: Has tentacles reached into the Indo-Pacific – BBC News

Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank, explained to the BBC Chinese that, by its name, NATO’s geographic coverage is concentrated in the North Atlantic. But now, in the Asia-Pacific region, NATO is beginning to show signs of gradual alliances with countries that share China’s concerns, as evidenced by South Korea’s first NATO summit this year.

Sun Yun said in an email reply to reporters’ questions that NATO or the so-called “West” generally sees China as a challenge to the existing, “rules-based international order”, while China sees itself as leading a “different type” Emerging forces of the international order. “A conflict between the two viewpoints is inevitable,” she said.

“Now that Western countries have joined forces to confront China, NATO’s latest strategic concept shows that this area of ​​conflict is multifaceted,” she added.

This year’s NATO summit in Madrid revolved around plans for how to contend with Russia and its allies against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Including this year’s summit, the historic NATO membership has been made by inviting Sweden and Finland.

NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg said at a press conference that NATO is facing the worst security crisis since World War II, and leaders of various countries considered Russia as a security threat when discussing the situation in Ukraine. However, what is more striking is that for the first time in NATO’s strategic concept, China is officially listed as a challenge for NATO.

The New York Times analyzed that for a Western military alliance such as NATO, which was established during the Cold War and has never paid special attention to China, the inclusion of China into the strategic concept for the first time is a big change. The turning point occurred in February, when Russian troops invaded Ukraine, but Beijing did not join the global condemnation of Moscow, the analysis said.

In fact, the so-called “Strategic Concept” document outlines NATO’s priorities for the next decade or so. In the document released in 2010, China was not mentioned, and Russia was also referred to as a “partner” in the document at the time.

Ten years in Hedong, the updated strategic concept document in 2022, Russia and China have become the two most focused “threats and challenges” of NATO.

An updated version of the strategy this year said China’s “policies of ambition and coercion” challenge NATO’s interests, security and values.

The document said the advancing strategic partnership between China and Russia, as well as their joint efforts to further weaken the “rules-based international order”, “runs against NATO values ​​and interests.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the impact on NATO security must be taken into account when witnessing China’s heavy investment in modern military power, long-range missiles and nuclear weapons and its attempts to control major infrastructure such as 5G for electronic communications. s consequence.

Accordingly, Chen Liangzhi, a researcher at the “National Security Research Institute”, a think tank of the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan, explained to the BBC that in any case, among the “new strategic concepts” mentioned at the NATO summit, Russia is still the “most significant and direct threat” to NATO, and Beijing, posing a “systemic challenge” to NATO, remains a secondary target.

According to Chen Liangzhi’s analysis, according to the strategic concept document provided by the summit, China has challenges to NATO’s interests and security at a macro level. NATO believes that the pursuit of military expansion but the lack of transparency in the military strategy, the economic attempt to control key technologies and supply chains, and the creation of “strategic dependence” to shape China’s influence are obviously contrary to NATO’s interests and values.

Regarding the Taiwan issue, NATO also criticized China’s “bullying” of Taiwan in this concept paper. Chen Liangzhi told the BBC that from 2021, under the promotion of the Biden administration, NATO began to include Taiwan Strait security in the declaration, and repeatedly criticized the problems caused by China’s rise. , this is a reasonable development, but relative to Russia, China is still relatively a secondary target to NATO.” He said.

For Beijing, however, it would be a no-brainer to criticize the NATO summit’s comments on China. The Chinese mission to the EU issued a statement saying it resolutely opposed NATO’s “Strategic Concept” document, accusing the document of “wanna attacking and smearing” China. “The documents claim that other countries are bringing challenges, but in reality NATO is causing trouble everywhere.”

In addition, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also criticized NATO’s strengthening of ties with Asia-Pacific countries as a so-called “small circle of gangs and factions”. He also criticized NATO’s updated “Strategic Concept” document for disregarding facts and confounding right and wrong. China expresses strong opposition.

According to many analysts, South Korea’s first NATO summit, with leaders from Australia, Japan and New Zealand (also translated as New Zealand) all attended, shows that NATO has extended its tentacles to the Indo-Pacific region under the advocacy of the United States.

For example, NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg, in his opening speech at the summit meeting with Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and other NATO partners, in addition to criticizing China and the organization’s national values, he also emphasized that NATO needs to unite and cooperate with the organization. Like-minded partners defend shared values ​​and freedoms.

Chen Liangzhi analyzed to reporters that South Korea was invited to participate in the NATO summit for the first time, which shows that NATO security cooperation has expanded to Asia in terms of geographical scope.

Chen Liangzhi explained that the main reason was that after Russia invaded Ukraine, Moscow and Beijing had a high degree of “ally” relationship, which showed the threat of Russia and China to Europe and Asia respectively. He believes that this has gradually contributed to the closer relations between many European countries and some Asian countries, among which South Korea’s role in this new political alliance is increasingly seen, which is related to the pro-US stance of the new president, Yin Xiyue.

He said, “So the U.S.-South Korea summit, the U.S.-Japan-South Korea defense ministers meeting in the ‘Shangri-La Dialogue’, etc., can all see South Korea’s role. In other words, I think that with the encouragement and assistance of the United States, Seoul is gradually becoming more and more in the resistance. more weight.”

In fact, the outside world has indeed begun to pay attention to whether the relationship between South Korea and China has begun to undergo qualitative changes since Yin Xiyue came to power, and has also begun to analyze whether New Zealand, which has always had a good relationship with China, is this time NATO’s position on China and the Indo-Pacific security issues. It also symbolizes political changes in the Indo-Pacific region.

According to the “Bloomberg” report, New Zealand is not a NATO member, but a NATO partner, but this time New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was invited to participate in the NATO summit, and she specifically mentioned China in her speech. Ardern said Beijing had become more assertive and more willing to challenge international rules and norms. She also condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, stressing the importance of international rules.

But Ardern’s comments on China were immediately criticized by Beijing. A statement from the Chinese embassy in New Zealand said: “We have noticed the relevant remarks made by the New Zealand side at the NATO summit, which contained some false accusations against China, claiming that China ‘has become more aggressive in recent years and is more willing to challenge international rules and norms’. The Chinese side expresses regret for this wrong accusation. The remarks made by the Singaporean side obviously do not help deepen the mutual trust between the two countries, and also go against the efforts of the two countries to maintain the correct development direction of bilateral relations.”

Wu Yonghong, deputy editor-in-chief of Singapore’s “Lianhe Zaobao” commented that China could not see the situation of NATO’s confrontation with China, “I believe it will not be unforeseen.” She also said that the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand went to Spain to attend the meeting this time. A clear signal to China. She said: “When the US is encircling China, Japan and South Korea, the EU and the US will be on the same front, which will be an irreversible result. China once hoped to win over the EU through economic and trade relations or strategic cooperation. Facts have proved that in China and Europe, This is difficult to achieve when values ​​are divided.”

But Wu Yonghong still believes that even if these are bound to worsen China’s strategic situation, “but it will not be a problem for China alone. If China and the United States fall into a camp-style battle, the world will be divided and out of control, and all countries will suffer.”

In any case, NATO, once criticized as “brain-dead” by French President Emmanuel Macron, seems to be resurrected after Moscow’s bombing of Ukraine, and this year, it has drawn China into NATO’s strategic challenge for the next decade. As NATO expands its tentacles to Asia, its future actions in the Asia-Pacific region and its mediation relationship with China will surely continue to be the focus of attention of all parties.