NATO Includes China Threat in Strategic Concept for the First Time... Controversy Over Wording Among Member States

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has announced that it will include and explicitly mention China as a 'strategy concept' threat for the first time, sparking ongoing debates among member countries over the tone used to describe China. While the United States and the United Kingdom emphasize that China is behind Russia and argue for a stronger stance against China, France and Germany are reportedly taking a more cautious approach considering economic issues tied to China, such as trade and investment volumes.

According to the Associated Press on the 27th (local time), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated at a press conference ahead of the NATO summit, "NATO will discuss a new strategy concept at this summit and will explicitly mention China for the first time," adding, "We will address the challenges China poses to our security, interests, and values."

The strategy concept is a fundamental strategic guideline adopted every ten years by consensus among NATO member countries. In the previous strategy concept established in 2010, Russia was referred to as a 'strategic partner,' and China was not mentioned. However, due to the close relationship between China and Russia amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine and criticisms that China continues to provide economic support to Russia despite sanctions, there are growing concerns that this is not unrelated to European defense, leading to China's inclusion in the new strategy concept.

Notably, with countering China emerging as a major issue at this NATO summit, key Asia-Pacific partner countries of NATO, including South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, were invited for the first time.

However, controversy continues among member countries over the tone used to describe China. Bloomberg News quoted a NATO official saying, "There was a proposal to describe China as a 'systemic challenge' in this NATO strategy concept," adding, "However, the United States and the United Kingdom are demanding stronger language, while France and Germany argue for a more cautious approach considering trade and investment volumes with China."

The U.S. government also seemed aware of this controversy and drew a line, stating that the revision of the strategy concept is not related to strengthening a new Cold War framework. Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, said at a press conference following the Group of Seven (G7) summit, "We do not seek a Cold War nor to divide the world," emphasizing, "We aim to establish fair principles and rules that everyone agrees on and cooperate with partners to ensure China follows them."