China has become a target of NATO?

Late last month, NATO adopted its first strategic concept document since 2010.

The document begins by acknowledging that "the Euro-Atlantic region is not at peace", accusing Russia of "violating norms and principles that contribute to a stable and predictable European security order", identifying Russia as "the most important and immediate threat" to NATO security, criticizing Russia is trying to establish a sphere of influence.

Meanwhile, the document mentions China for the first time, saying it poses a "systemic challenge".

Although the strategic concept is the first to include Chinese content, and the summit even invited the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand for the first time, the content of the threat to China is not new. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also stated that China is not an "adversary" of NATO; the strategic concept is more based on the "deepening strategic partnership between China and Russia" relations” to look at China.

During the NATO summit, U.S. President Joe Biden (center), South Korean President Yoon Seok-wook (left), and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) held a trilateral summit in Madrid on June 29.

The officials sitting behind Biden are White House National Security Adviser Sullivan, Secretary of State Blinken and Defense Secretary Austin.

(Associated Press)

It can be seen that even though the United States is the leading country in NATO, the core of NATO is still Europe, and China is the opponent of the United States at the global level, but not the focus of Europe.

Therefore, although European countries gave the United States face, let Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and other countries participate in the meeting, creating a scene of strategic linkage between Europe and the United States in the Indo-Pacific, and agreed to add Chinese content to their strategic concepts, but they have never put the overall focus of NATO on Europe. transfer outside.

In actual NATO policy, the Chinese factor is also noticeably absent.

After Washington lobbied to support additional F-16 purchases, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had already reached a memorandum with Sweden, Finland and Turkey about the two countries dropping support for various Kurdish groups. Conditionally agree to the applications of Switzerland and Finland to join NATO - even though Erdogan still pointed out after the summit that he would have to see if the two countries would faithfully implement the contents of the memorandum before allowing their entry to pass the Turkish parliament.

The entry of Switzerland and Finland has turned the Baltic Sea into a NATO inland sea, isolating Russia in the Arctic waterway, which has become increasingly important due to climate warming, and Finland is even closer to Russia's nuclear military base on the Kola Peninsula in northwest Russia.

Australian Prime Minister Albanese, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg, New Zealand President Ardern, and South Korean President Yoon Seok-wook pose for a group photo at the NATO summit.

(Associated Press)

At the same time, NATO will also significantly increase the existing rapid response force of 40,000 to 300,000.

The United States will also establish a base of its Fifth Army in Poland, which will become the first permanent deployment of the US military on the eastern edge of NATO. It will also send an additional 5,000 troops to Romania, which faces the Black Sea, and send two F-35 squadrons to the United Kingdom. , dispatched two more destroyers to Spain, and deployed air defense systems in Italy and Germany.

Overall, the U.S. presence in Europe will increase to 100,000 to 120,000.

Actions often speak louder than words.

NATO's actions show that the Chinese threat to Europe is still on paper.

For details, please read the 324th issue of "Hong Kong 01" Electronic Weekly Newsletter (July 4, 2022) "