Although the North Atlantic Treaty Organization supposedly has its hands full with disrupting Eastern Europe and targeting Russia, it seems it also harbors plans to target China.
According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, NATO intends to deepen cooperation with its Asian allies responding to the impending “security challenge” coming from China, which refuses to condemn Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
Speaking during a press conference on Tuesday, Stoltenberg announced that the alliance will be hosting foreign ministers from NATO states in addition to Finland, Sweden, Georgia and the European Union. Asia-Pacific partners were invited as well, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. He said that the current “security crisis” has “global implications.”
The ministers will be discussing new strategic concepts regarding the war in Ukraine in addition to, for the first time, dealing with China’s “growing influence and coercive policies on the global stage which pose a systemic challenge to our security and to our democracies.”
“We see that China has been unwilling to condemn Russia’s aggression and has joined Moscow in questioning the right of nations to choose their own path,” said Stoltenberg. The NATO general urged the member states, mostly liberal democracies, to stand up against “authoritarian powers.”
According to Freedom House, an organization funded by Washington, 5 of 30 NATO members are not considered to be completely democratic: Turkey, Albania, Hungary, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
Stoltenberg hopes that there will be enhanced cooperation between NATO and Asia-Pacific partners on “arms control, cyber, hybrid and technology.”
Beijing has made it increasingly clear that it will not impose sanctions on Russia and maintaining an independent stance on Ukraine, that it is not a party in the conflict and will be a force for peace and mediation if and when necessary.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
