Siyang: Why does NATO ＂East Asia Pacific＂?How will it affect China?

Source: Voice of the United States

Author: Siyang

The North Atlantic Convention Organization (NATO) ended the two -day summit held in Vernis, the capital of Lithuania.The summit issued a bulletin to reiterate China's "interests, security and values" of NATO constitutions to constitute a systematic challenge.The bulletin also stated that it would strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Asia -Pacific partners.China responded fiercely to the communiqué, refuting the NATO bulletin "full of cold war thinking and ideological prejudice", and said that China resolutely opposed NATO's "East Asia Pacific".So why did NATO turn to the Asia -Pacific region?What are the concerns about China?How will NATO and Asia -Pacific partners affect China?

The interests of NATO in the Asia -Pacific region — closely connected to Indo -Pacific Indo -Pacific Cross -Atlantic Ocean

The NATO Summit's communiqué explains the interests of NATO in the Asia -Pacific region.The bulletin said: "India-Pacific is very important for NATO, because the development of the region may directly affect the security of Europe-Atlantic Ocean."

Bulletin said that NATO will continue to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea."We will further strengthen dialogue and cooperation to deal with our common security challenges, including challenges in the field of network defense, technology and hybrid, and based on the common commitment of maintaining international law and rules -based international order."

Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand are also known as the "Asia -Pacific" (IP4).This is also the second consecutive year that the leaders of the Sikkan are invited to participate in the NATO Summit.NATO Secretary -General Yanus Stoltenberg wrote in a magazine of foreign affairs on July 10 that he invited the "Asia -Pacific" leaders to participate in the summit because "NATO is a regional alliance in Europe and North America,But face global challenges. ""We must have a consensus on the security risks we face and work together to enhance the toughness of our society, economy and democracy."

In addition to inviting leaders to participate in the NATO summit, since 2020, the Foreign Minister of the Asia -Pacific countries has been talking to the foreign ministers of NATO countries, and the national defense ministers have also participated in the dialogue.

NATO believes that such dialogues ensure that NATO and their partners can strengthen their mutual perception of the security development trend of cross -Grand Western and Indo -Pacific regions, including Russia's war on Ukraine, the transformation of global power balance and the rise of China, and the Korean PeninsulaSafety situation, etc.

In addition, partners in the Indo -Pacific region also provided a unique perspective for NATO's policy discussions on joint security challenges such as online defense, climate change, maritime security and arms control.

Cross -Atlantic and Asia -Pacific Security Conservation is increasingly increasingly consensus.At the Vilnis Summit, Japanese Prime Minister Kishita and South Korean President Yin Xiyue both mentioned that cross -Gate and India is inseparable.In fact, Kishida Wenxiong should be the first leader who associates across the Grand Western Ocean.In February 2022, after the invasion of Ukraine in Russia, Kishida took the lead in proposing that "today's Ukraine is Tomorrow East Asia".

Former Australian Prime Minister and the current Australian Ambassador to the United States, Lu Kewen, said at a seminar on a seminar on a partner of NATO and the "Asia -Pacific" partnership in Washington Think Tank on Monday that Europe has paid attention to the Asia -Pacific region for many yearsIt originated from the importance of the economy in the Indo -Pacific region, and now in Europe, it has seen a series of security challenges in the Asia -Pacific region directly or indirectly affects Europe.

He said that a new reality facing the world is that such a threat is increasingly "seamless" whether in the Internet or space.He also said that even in terms of geographical perspective, the threats of cross -Atlantic and Asia -Pacific regions are interrelated.

"A considerable part of the global trade has reached the fact that the major economies such as Japan and South Korea, such as the South China Sea, have shown that this is not only the concerns of neighboring countries, but also a issue that is concerned about global attention." NATO's concerns about China are more and more specific

For NATO, China is part of the global challenge that NATO must face.There are 90 paragraphs of the NATO Summit of the Vilnius, of which five of them are about China.The bulletin said: "The ambitions and mandatory policies of the People's Republic of China challenged our interests, security and values." However, this is not the first time that NATO describes China like this.In 2022, NATO's first mention of the "New Strategic Concepts" in the "New Strategic Concepts" of its future development of the development of its future development constitutes a challenge to the "security, interests and values of NATO."

The Marshall Foundation in the United States is responsible for the executive director of Europe, NATO, and North America's security and defense research, Christine Belgina, believes that compared with last year, this year's communiqué expressed more specific to the threat from China.

"(Bulletin) mentioned a lot of details, which seems to indicate that NATO has conducted a more serious assessment of the potential threats of China within NATO. This is not necessarily related to what China has done in the Pacific region, but inside NATOAction. This is very important. "

Bulletin said that China has adopted extensive political, economic and military tools to expand its global influence and projection power, while maintaining opaque on its strategy, intention and military construction.China's malicious mixing and network operations and their confrontation speech and false information are targeted at allies and damage the security of the alliance.China seek to control key technologies and industrial departments, key infrastructure, and strategic materials and supply chains.It uses economic leverage to create strategic dependence to enhance influence.It is committed to subverting rules -based international order, including space, network and marine fields.

Bulletin said that the strategic partnership between China and Russia's continuous deepenings believes that this relationship is "destroying rules -based international order" and runs counter to the values and interests of NATO.NATO Bulletin also criticized China's "secret expansion nuclear arsenal and diversified".

Beziana believes that NATO provides these additional details to be clear and not wanting to be misunderstood.She also said that NATO's criticism of China on Russia is not as severe to Iran and Belarus.In the bulletin, NATO stated that "it is still willing to make constructive contact with China, including the establishment of mutual benefit."NATO Secretary -General Stoltenberg also repeatedly emphasized that NATO did not regard China as "opponents".

However, NATO's words have been strongly responded by China.A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the EU said that the NATO Bulletin was "full of cold war thinking and ideological prejudice" and "NATO as the product of the Cold War, which was inferior in history."Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that after NATO "chaotic Europe", "in an attempt to mess with the Asia -Pacific and the world." He also said before that Asia is not the geographical category of North Atlantic, nor does it need to establish the so -called "Asia -Pacific Version EditionNATO".

Not "Asia -Pacific Edition NATO"

But NATO did not intend to invite Asian countries to enter the alliance.The United States Ambassador to NATO, Julian Smith, said to the VOA during the NATO Summit of Lithuania on Wednesday: "We will not increase member states from the Indian area."

She said: "We are breaking the obstacles between the Atlantic allies in the United States and the Pacific Alliance in the United States to deal with common challenges such as network security, emerging and disruptive technology, and maritime security. On a series of issues, we can be able toLearn from each other without the need to officially include any country in the Indo -Pacific region into the alliance. "

In May of this year, Japanese Prime Minister Kishita Kishi emphasized during Hiroshima Hiroshima Hiroshima that Japan did not have a plan to become a member of NATO.

Belgina of the Marshall Foundation in Germany believes that the cooperation between NATO and the Asia -Pacific countries is not aimed at the aim of China in Asia -Pacific.

"From the current way, the essence is a counterattackAny action taken within these countries in these countries.Therefore, this is not to target China, nor NATO positions itself in this way, and competes with China, but how NATO has made the Indo -Pacific and NATO countries develop together.Many areas are developing rapidly ... We need to come up with better solutions.How do we look at these emerging and disruptive technologies, and how do we manage them?How can we solve the threshold of mixed threats and development, and how we better solve the problem of network defense.These things are about strengthening the protection of internal society and preventing any bad actors from infringement."

She said that unless China has turned itself into one of these threats, China will not encounter the resistance of the new capabilities of NATO and the Asia -Pacific countries.

In this summit, Japan and South Korea signed the "Individual Target Partnership Plan" (ITPP) with NATO, replacing and raising the original "individual partner cooperation plan" to a new height.The cooperation between NATO and Japan involves 16 areas including cyber defense response and space security guarantee. The cooperation between South Korea and NATO covers 11 areas such as preventing nuclear diffusion and network security.In addition, the "Deeply Valued Nato Partner" and "Highly Valued Partner of Nato) Australia and New Zealand will further strengthen the network security, new technologies and climate climate in Australia and New Zealand.Change of cooperation.

Taiwan, Tokyo Liaison Office, and NATO internal differences

NATO did not mention Taiwan, which was regarded by mainland China as its core interest in the communiqué. However, NATO Secretary -General Stoltenberg mentioned in a press conference on July 12 that mainland China "threatened Taiwan".

In fact, analysts are worried that the Taiwan issue may cause huge differences within NATO.Garretin Martin, co -director of the University of America Cross -Atlantic Policy Center, said in an interview with VOA that once the Taiwan Strait conflicts, how will Asia -Pacific countries coordinate with NATO, this should be the core question that needs to be asked about askedEssence

"To what extent can the United States expect the political and economic support of Europeans? This is crucial. I mean, we see economic sanctions on Russia.Sanctions, more important sanctions. The question is that considering (Europe and China) greater contact and interdependence, whether Europeans are willing to follow suit, I think this is the real problem. "

He said that due to the support of the Ukraine War and China to Russia, there are more and more understanding of China in NATO countries, and they realize that they cannot continue to ignore China's challenges.Differential.

The host Lithuania of the NATO summit announced a Indo -Pacific strategy on the eve of the summit. It rarely criticized China for a series of criticisms, and even made a "red line" for mainland China on the Ukrainian war and Taiwan issues.This more than a dozen pages of documents also mentioned Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait more than a dozen times, emphasizing that "military support Russia's war against Ukraine, or use force or threats to change the status quo of the Taiwan Strait area. These are red lines."

French President Emartel Macron believes that Europe should not follow anyone on the Taiwan issue.He is worried that Europe will be dragged into Europe that does not want to participate, such as Taiwan.

Germany is also cautious on the issue of Taiwan.The national security strategy announced by Germany not long ago does not mention Taiwan.But the strategy of China launched on Thursday mentioned Taiwan.Policies say that Germany pursues a Chinese policy, but it also maintains a good relationship with Taiwan and hopes to expand it.Germany supports Taiwan to participate in international organizations on specific issues.The changes in the status quo of Taiwan can only be consent between both sides in a peaceful way.Taiwan's military upgrade will affect Germany and Europe.

Macron continued to explain to the NATO plan to set up a liaison place in Japan at a press conference after the summit.He said: "India is not the North Atlantic. We cannot leave people's impression that NATO is establishing legitimacy and establishing existence geographically in other regions." Before the summit, France also opposed it.It may be precisely because of the opposition from France that the summit bulletin did not mention the plan to set up a liaison office in Japan.However, NATO Secretary -General Stoltenberg said after the summit that his plan to be "on the desktop" at the NATO Tokyo Liaison Office.

However, although France opposes the establishment of a liaison office in Tokyo, it is a military frequent visitor to the Pacific. As the NATO Summit is about to open in Lithuania, France still dispatches 10 fighters to participate in exercises held with the United States in the Pacific Island.

The British army has been trained in Japan; in June, a Canadian warship acted with a U.S. destroyer in the Taiwan Strait. At that time, American warships almost collided with a Chinese warship; German Defense Minister Boris PistoLes announced at the Shangri -La Dialogue Defense Summit last month that Berlin will send two naval ships to Pacific next year.