News site Politico writes that Stoltenberg directly links the war in Ukraine to the conflict between China and Taiwan. Beijing still claims the self-governed island.
Discussion
Stoltenberg stresses that Moscow “wants a different Europe” and that Beijing “is watching closely what price Russia pays, or what reward it gets for its aggression”. Our security environment has changed in the long run, even if the war ends tomorrow, according to the NATO chief.
The discussion among Western allies on how to deal with the situation between China and Taiwan has been going on for some time. For example, the United States is calling for China to be monitored more closely, while other countries are adopting a more cautious stance to avoid an escalation.
A front
According to Stoltenberg, the Western allies must act in unison, both on ‘military and economic fronts’. The NATO chief says the war in Ukraine has made it clear that it is dangerous to rely too much on authoritarian regimes. “We must not make the same mistake with China and other authoritarian regimes,” warns Stoltenberg. “The most important lesson from the war in Ukraine is that North America and Europe must unite,” the secretary general said.