Of course, the war in Ukraine is a big issue, but all the information from the NATO Foreign Ministers Summit shows that the North Atlantic alliance has its eyes on the essence of Beijing and the potential dangers and threats that may come from China in the future at the expense of the interests of the West.
NATO’s statement is telling: “NATO foreign ministers concluded two days of meetings in Bucharest on Wednesday (November 30, 2022), with the meetings focusing on the long-term challenges posed by China, as well as supporting partners facing Russian pressure . “NATO is an Alliance of Europe and North America, but the challenges we face are global and we must face them together in NATO,” said Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
The foreign ministers discussed China’s ambitious military developments, its technological advances and its growing cyber and hybrid activities. They also stressed the importance of meeting NATO’s resilience guidelines, maintaining NATO’s technological edge and continuing to strengthen cooperation with partners in the Indo-Pacific region and with the European Union.
Stoltenberg said the war in Ukraine showed a dangerous dependence on Russian gas and that “this should also lead us to assess our dependencies on other authoritarian regimes, notably China, for supply chains, technology or our infrastructures”. He added: we will, of course, continue to trade and engage economically with China, but we must be aware of our dependencies, reduce our vulnerabilities and manage the risks.” Ministers also discussed terrorism and agreed to continue efforts to address this serious threat.
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia and Moldova participated in the final cabinet meeting. NATO Allies agreed to enhance tailored support to these three partners, including capacity building, reform and training to improve security and defense institutions.
On Tuesday, NATO Foreign Ministers met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to address Ukraine’s most urgent needs, as well as long-term support. The Allies agreed that continued military support for Ukraine is essential – in particular, additional air defense. The Allies also announced additional contributions to NATO’s Integrated Assistance Package, which provides Ukraine with non-lethal assistance, including fuel and generators.
Finland and Sweden participated in all the meetings in the cabinet, their first meeting of NATO foreign ministers as invited to the Alliance.
