Sino-Russian relations a threat, says NATO chief — RT World News

China and Russia are leading a “authoritarian repression” against the “rules-based international order” and their growing ties pose a security threat that Western powers and their Asian allies must address together, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

“The fact that Russia and China are getting closer and China’s significant investments and new advanced military capabilities only underscores that China poses a threat, also poses a challenge to NATO allies,” Stoltenberg said Tuesday in a speech in Tokyo. “Security is not regional but global. NATO must ensure that we have friends. It is important to work more closely with our Indo-Pacific partners,” added the NATO chief.

Stoltenberg made the comments a day after meeting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to discuss deepening ties between Tokyo and the Western military alliance. Japan plans to open an independent delegation office at NATO headquarters in Brussels and send a representative to meetings of the bloc’s council and defense chiefs.

While asserting that NATO does not view China as an adversary, Stoltenberg said that Beijing “to assert oneself more and more” and “coercive policies” are disturbing. He accused China of intimidating its neighbors in the South China Sea, threatening Taiwan, spreading “disinformation” on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the expansion of its nuclear and conventional military forces “without any transparency”. China’s deepening relationship with Russia only adds to these concerns.

“Moscow and Beijing are deepening their strategic partnership”, says Stoltenberg. “The two countries are training and operating more together militarily, conducting joint naval and air patrols also in the vicinity of Japan. Their economic cooperation is intensifying and China has not condemned the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

The NATO chief said that if Russia wins its conflict with Ukraine, it “send the message that authoritarian regimes can achieve their goals through brute force. It’s dangerous. Beijing is watching closely and learning lessons that could influence its future decisions. What is happening in Europe today could happen in East Asia tomorrow.

Chinese officials have lambasted NATO for “trying to start a new cold war.” After Stoltenberg spoke last summer about the threat allegedly posed by Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said NATO should “Stop trying to screw up Asia and the world after screwing up Europe.”

Stoltenberg said it’s “essential for having friends” in a “more dangerous and competitive world.” He swore that in the midst of such instability, “Japan can count on NATO to support you.”