– China is a regime that does not share our values. They threaten neighbors. They boycott countries that don’t do what they say. Equally important, China is a country that is cooperating increasingly closely with Russia. This means that China’s growing economic, political and military power impacts NATO and almost everything NATO does, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Stoltenberg gave a speech at a seminar organized by the Norwegian Atlantic Committee on Tuesday afternoon.

There he warned, among other things, of an increasingly aggressive and unpredictable China. He believes that what China is doing in Asia will also have a big impact on NATO countries.

European security

He believes China’s behavior has consequences for almost everything NATO does.

– Whether it’s collective defense and defense investments, or securing our infrastructure such as 5G networks, ports and other infrastructure, or the technology and ensuring that we maintain the technological advantage that NATO and the West have always had by investing more in cooperation in bringing technological developments, said Stoltenberg, adding:

– At least in terms of what NATO is doing now working with our partners in the Pacific region, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and South Korea. They see, as we see, that security is not regional. Security is global. What happens in Asia affects our security, and what happens in Europe affects theirs.

He also warned that the results of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could have grave consequences for what China will do militarily in the future.

– The more Putin succeeds in Ukraine, the more inclined they are to use military force to achieve their goals. The less he succeeded, the less inclined they were to use military force. It’s connected. NATO must also take the security challenge seriously, said the Secretary General.

[ Nye år med Erdogan får unge tyrkere til å se mot utlandet ]

Sweden

The situation in Ukraine was of course also the main topic of the speech.

Stoltenberg also said that he believed Sweden would become a full member of NATO in a short time.

– I firmly believe that Sweden will also become a full member. Not least because all NATO countries at the meeting in Madrid invited Sweden and Finland to become members, he said.

[ På denne øya havner 78 prosent av avfallet i naturen ]

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