According to Jens Stoltenberg, the organisation’s General Secretary, China is not an enemy, but it does not share the “values and principles of democracy”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg intends to bring the security implications of China’s rise and its role in the Asia-Pacific region to next week’s Foreign Ministers’ meeting. He announced this in an interview published on Saturday with the German media group Funke.
“We must discuss the implications of China’s rise”, – said Stoltenberg. According to him, China is increasingly investing in expanding its military capabilities, which includes new nuclear weapons and missiles that can hit facilities in the territory of NATO member states.
At the same time, countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan will be involved in the discussion of Beijing’s role, Stoltenberg said. Finland and Sweden, which are not members of the alliance, will also take part in the discussions of foreign ministers.
According to the Secretary General, “China is not the enemy”. “It offers its NATO partners enormous economic opportunities,” said Stoltenberg. However, in his view, Beijing does not share “the values and principles of democracy, which is now evident in Hong Kong or in its treatment of minorities.
A meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of NATO member states will be held on 1-2 December in a teleconference format.