US and EU warn of danger from China and Russia on Berlin Wall anniversary

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urges Western allies to ‘recognise we are in a competition of values with unfree nations’

Incoming EU chief von der Leyen wants Europe to ‘learn the language of power’ in face of security challenges, saying soft power is not enough

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EU Commission president-elect Ursula von der Leyen sits before her speech on eve of the 30th anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall in Berlin on Friday. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:28am, 9 Nov 2019Updated: 10:58pm, 10 Dec 2019

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and incoming EU chief Ursula von der Leyen issued stark warnings on Friday that the West faces new challenges from China and Russia, on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall.

Urging Western allies to defend hard-won freedoms, Pompeo stressed “we can never take … things for granted”.

With the West facing a slew of geopolitical challenges, he said the bulwark of the bloc’s defence alliance, the 70-year-old Nato, also “runs the risk that it will become obsolete” if leaders failed to tackle new challenges.

Pompeo’s warning came after French President Emmanuel Macron criticised the transatlantic partnership as experiencing “brain death”.

The sharp words prompted an unusually firm retort from Chancellor Angela Merkel. Von der Leyen too on Friday defended Nato as an “outstanding” shield.

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