Nato says China presents ‘systemic challenges’ and vows to counter its rise
- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization releases a statement a day after the Group of 7 focuses on China as well
- Events are part of US President Joe Biden’s plans to rebuild the transatlantic alliance, with an aim of heading off China threats
For the first time in its 72-year history, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has branded China as presenting “systemic challenges”, in a statement that vowed to counter Beijing’s rise.
At the first meeting of Nato’s 30 national leaders since 2019, China was central to discussions – as it had been at the G7 session in Cornwall, England, over the weekend.
“China’s stated ambitions and assertive behaviour present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security,” the statement said.
“We are concerned by those coercive policies which stand in contrast to the fundamental values enshrined in the Washington Treaty,” a reference to the Nato founding charter.
In a news conference after the summit’s conclusion, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the body was concerned that China was “rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal, with more warheads and a large number of sophisticated, sophisticated delivery systems”, as well as its military cooperation with Russia and its “use of misinformation”.