TLTP
\nBRUSSELS
\nChina\u2019s growing military power holds potential dangers for the transatlantic alliance, according to NATO\u2019s civilian chief.
\n\u201cChina is investing massively in new weapons,\u201d NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. \u201cIt is coming closer to us, from the Arctic to Africa, and by investing in our infrastructure.\u201d That unease spurred the foreign ministers of the alliance to dedicate a session of their annual meeting, held virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, to the rising communist power. The dialogue took place as Stoltenberg is orchestrating a NATO Reflection Group to identify the transatlantic alliance\u2019s priorities over the next decade \u2014 an effort that Stoltenberg hopes will culminate in a visit from President-elect Joe Biden in the spring.
\n\u201cAnd at that summit, I will also put forward my proposals on how to continue to strengthen and continue to adapt NATO as an agile and strong alliance.\u201d Secretary of State Mike Pompeo\u2019s team put an emphasis on China\u2019s anti-satellite weaponry, which could be used to sever military communications in a conflict and cripple Western economies.
\n\u201cChina is very active in space, and there needs to be a lot of work in space to make sure that we have, hopefully, an ability to see where satellites are and determine what our deterrence and defense capabilities can be to assure that those cannot be used against us \u2014 against any of us,\u201d U.S. Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison said Monday. \u201cThat\u2019s just one area.\u201d
\nThe foreign ministers put a spotlight on China one year after the landmark declaration that Beijing\u2019s power presents \u201cboth opportunities and challenges\u201d to the alliance, a statement that amounted to an unprecedented display of concern about China by a transatlantic security bloc that traditionally has focused on threats nearer to European borders.
\n\u201cChina is not our adversary,\u201d Stoltenberg stipulated. \u201cIts rise presents an important opportunity for our economies and trade. We need to engage with China on issues such as arms control and climate change.\u201d Those comments gave voice to the U.S. and European belief that Chinese Communist officials have a key role to play in an international effort to mitigate the effects of climate change. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have a principle on the National Security Council whose full-time job is to fight climate change,\u201d Biden said last week. \u201cFor the first time ever, that will occur.\u201d
\nChinese state media pointed to the Biden team\u2019s rhetoric about \u201cthe dangers of climate change\u201d as a potential opening to diminish tensions between Washington and Beijing. \u201cSuch a shift in focus would clearly be far more objective than the Trump administration\u2019s national security priorities,\u201d a Global Times editorial suggested Sunday.
\nStoltenberg emphasized that such climate cooperation shouldn\u2019t obscure the deeper fissures between the Chinese Communist regime and Western capitals. \u201cChina does not share our values,\u201d he said. \u201cIt does not respect fundamental human rights and tries to intimidate other countries. We must address this together, both as NATO allies and as a community of like-minded countries.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TLTP BRUSSELS China\u2019s growing military power holds potential dangers for the transatlantic alliance, according to NATO\u2019s civilian chief. \u201cChina is investing massively in new weapons,\u201d NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. \u201cIt is coming closer to us, from the Arctic to Africa, and by investing in our infrastructure.\u201d That unease spurred the foreign ministers of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-159806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n