ExclusiveChinese military set for EU and Nato talks as Iran war reshapes global security picture

A delegation from China’s People’s Liberation Army will travel to Brussels next week for talks with the European Union and Nato amid heightened concerns over global security caused by the war in Iran. The EU-China Security and Defence Consultations will take place next Tuesday, official sources confirmed, with the talks between Nato and the PLA’s Office for International Military Cooperation scheduled for the same week. On the EU side, the talks will be chaired by Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss, managing director for peace, security and defence in the EU’s External Action Service, its de facto foreign ministry. A Nato official also confirmed that the PLA would meet representatives from its international military staff. “Nato and China maintain regular dialogue, on both civilian and military channels, to build reciprocal transparency with a view to safeguarding the alliance’s security interests,” the official said. While no official agendas were available, previous rounds of these talks have focused on crunch issues and security hotspots. The last EU-PLA talks took place two years ago in the Chinese capital, chaired by Major General Yao Qin, the deputy chief of international military cooperation. An EU statement issued after the meeting focused on Ukraine and said: “China’s positioning on the war continues to affect the EU-China relationship.” It added that they also discussed “regional security issues in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific, including in the South China Sea and Taiwan”. Nato said its round of talks focused on “global and regional security landscapes, with emphasis on Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine; maritime security; and issues of common concern”. The PLA travels to Brussels as Nato faces new questions after US President Donald Trump castigated members of the alliance for refusing to support US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Trump doubled down on his criticism on Tuesday, saying European leaders had made a “foolish mistake” by refusing to send warships to open the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route that has been effectively closed by Iran. “Everyone agrees with us, but they don’t want to help. And we, you know, we as the United States have to remember that because we think it’s pretty shocking,” he said. In recent months, the US has continually threatened to seize the Danish territory of Greenland and placed further tariffs on its global partners. “As long as the war continues, we will not participate in ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz by military means … we are unaware of any plan that could make such an operation feasible,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday. “We will not participate in this war.” Trump has also accused China, among other countries, of not sending warships to the strait because of “artificial constraints”, and has said he would postpone a visit to China planned for the end of this month by several weeks. He has also claimed on social media that “many countries” affected by the closure “will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe”. “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others” will send ships to the area, Trump claimed, adding that the US would be “bombing the hell out of the shoreline”, and continually shooting Iranian boats and ships out of the water. None of those countries have indicated they would take part. Despite the Iran war dominating the headlines, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine remains a major bugbear for Europe in its relationship with China. The Europeans widely perceive Beijing as having sided with Moscow. Official sources have said the Chinese have become less uncomfortable about discussing the conflict since Trump returned to power and diluted US support for Ukraine. The talks also come shortly after the EU sanctioned two Chinese companies and two individuals over alleged cybersecurity attacks. The companies – Integrity Technology Group and Anxun Information Technology – are both accused of providing products and infrastructure for hacking attacks on the EU and its member states. The two co-founders of Anxun were also hit with visa bans and asset freezes. On Monday, the EU said that between 2022 and 2023, through Integrity Technology Group’s “technical and material support, more than 65,000 devices were hacked across six member states”.

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The PLA delegation will travel to Brussels next week, where the Ukraine war remains a major barrier to better relations with Beijing

The PLA delegation will travel to Brussels next week, where the Ukraine war remains a major barrier to better relations with Beijing