The 75th North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit issued the "Washington Summit Declaration" on the 10th, pointing out that the continued deepening of the unlimited strategic partnership between Russia and China has caused deep concern to the outside world. China is a key promoter of the Russia-Ukraine war and continues to pose a challenge to European and global security.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition on the 11th, and said that China has lodged solemn representations to NATO.
NATO has invited four Indo-Pacific partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, to participate in the summit since 2022. This is the first time that the "Indo-Pacific Four" countries have been included in the joint declaration. The declaration mentioned that China provides dual-use equipment such as electronic systems, which can be used by Russia to manufacture missiles, aircraft and other weapons. China is a "key booster" of the Russian-Ukrainian war, increasing threats to the Atlantic and Europe; the Indo-Pacific situation directly affects the security of Europe and the Atlantic. NATO will strengthen cooperation with Asia-Pacific partners to support Ukraine. In addition, NATO expressed concern about China's space capabilities and will strengthen communication with Beijing and Moscow to reduce risks.
NATO Secretary General: China's security challenges must be taken seriously
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed at the forum on the 10th that the security challenges posed by China must be taken seriously, and NATO is still an alliance between North America and Europe, and will not become a global NATO. NATO's enhanced cooperation with global and Asia-Pacific partners reflects the changes NATO has made in response to the threat from China.
Zhang Mengren, director of the Italian Department and convener of the Diplomacy and International Affairs Program at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, said in an interview with Radio Free Asia that China's rise has allowed NATO to find a new foothold, especially since China and Russia have declared that their friendship has no limits and China has secretly transferred a lot of dual-use defense industrial materials to Russia, which has caused NATO concern.
"Beijing has extended its hand into Europe!" Zhang Mengren warned: "The Chinese People's Liberation Army and Belarus have conducted their first joint military exercise on the Polish border in Europe. It is a joint army exercise called "Eagle Assault-2024". This shows that if NATO moves towards the Asia-Pacific, China and Russia will also fight back further."
Precisely because of the active cooperation between China and Russia, NATO has accelerated its pace of Asia-Pacificization. Zhang Mengren pointed out, "China was originally very worried about the Asia-Pacificization of NATO's role, and it seems to be becoming more and more obvious now. NATO originally promised not to become Asia-Pacific, but gradually moved forward in a salami-slicing manner, incorporating Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia. This is the reason for such rapid progress."
The US election affects the fate of NATO. Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia urgently need NATO to enter the Indo-Pacific
The US election is also a key factor in further alliances between NATO and the Asia-Pacific region. Sweden, a neutral country that joined NATO after the Russian-Ukrainian war, was mentioned by its prime minister at the summit this time. Trump had stated that he would withdraw from NATO if elected. The United States is an important military defense umbrella for NATO. If the United States really withdraws, NATO will be in great danger.
Zhang Mengren analyzed that: "In order to keep the United States in NATO, it is necessary to cater to the US agenda and regard the challenge of containing China as the top priority. Defense must account for 2% of GDP. Currently, 23 of the 31 countries have met the standard, and Italy is also working hard to increase it to 1.6%. Therefore, this time the NATO Secretary-General clearly stated that NATO will begin to develop towards the Asia-Pacific and become Asia-Pacific. It is just right that Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia participated in issuing a joint declaration."
Zhang Mengren explained that Beijing is demonstrating its ability to start multiple battles, creating gray zone conflicts in Japan, the Philippines, Europe, and the Taiwan Strait, which has created different reasons for Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand to ally with NATO. Among them, Japan is on high alert because the Chinese Coast Guard frequently enters and exits the waters of the Diaoyutai Islands to claim sovereignty, confront and expel Japanese fishing boats; South Korea is anxious about the strategic partnership between Russia and North Korea; and New Zealand and Australia are members of the Five Eyes Alliance and follow the United States.
Zhang Mengren further pointed out that NATO originally wanted to set up an office in Japan, but French President Macron opposed it, believing that Asia was too far away and that there was no need to get too involved in Asian affairs, and he received a lot of support. However, Macron recently won the second round of the French election, and his diplomatic stance has been weakened. Japan and South Korea are taking advantage of this and are trying hard to bring NATO into the Asia-Pacific region.
Scholar: The United States is the most important force in the Indo-Pacific and NATO
Shen Mingshi, director of the National Security Research Institute at the Taiwan National Defense Security Research Institute, emphasized in an interview with Radio Free Asia that the key lies in the United States. Although the battlefield between Ukraine and Russia is in Eastern Europe, and the conflict in the Indo-Pacific may be in Asia, the two seem far apart, but Eastern Europe’s defense force is mainly NATO, which is backed by the United States. The Indo-Pacific is also led by the United States. The United States will find ways to integrate Japan, South Korea, and Australia in the Indo-Pacific to form a so-called "democratic alliance" to deter China and avoid confrontation alone.
Shen Mingshi analyzed that some NATO countries were unable to directly assist Ukraine and had relied on Japan and South Korea to assist Ukraine. These experiences have facilitated the possibility of NATO and Japan, South Korea and Australia forming a common mechanism due to common interests.
Shen Mingshi mentioned that Japan and the United Kingdom signed an agreement on mutual access of their troops, or NATO wanted to set up an office in Japan. The leaders of Japan and South Korea have participated in the NATO summit for three consecutive years. The so-called alliance of democratic countries led by the United States has been formed around the world to deter China, support each other, and accumulate war advantages, which is a bit like returning to the relationship between the Allies and the Axis powers in World War II.
Shen Mingshi said that there are different structures under the four Indo-Pacific countries. For example, the United States, Japan and South Korea already have an alliance, the Indo-Pacific and South Asia have a quadrilateral security framework, and Japan and Britain, and Japan and South Korea have bilateral alliances. The purpose is to prevent conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and how to promote cooperation between the United States, NATO and the Indo-Pacific in response to conflicts in Europe.
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