The increasingly close relationship between China and Russia worries the Alliance. The recent meeting between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping demonstrated the good harmony between both leaders and a clear sign of the good degree of understanding between both powers. Despite the fact that “cooperation is becoming closer” between the countries, for the moment, there is no indication that Beijing has helped Moscow militarily. However, if he decides to send weapons, he would commit “a historic mistake” with “severe consequences”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned after finishing a meeting of Alliance foreign ministers.
Stoltenberg has stressed that there is a growing “concern” about the close cooperation between Russia and China. On the economic level, he believes that Moscow is “increasingly dependent on Beijing”, but nonetheless, and although China has not rejected the invasion of Ukraine, they will remain “vigilant” for possible help from Beijing. “China knows there will be severe consequences if it delivers lethal aid to Russia” and this has been “made clear by many allies, including the biggest ally,” Stoltenberg said, referring to the United States.
The foreign ministers met with their counterparts from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to discuss the situation in the Indo-Pacific, where China and Russia have also carried out “joint activities”, as well as increasing assertiveness and Beijing’s aggressiveness in the area, the Alliance has warned.
For Stoltenberg, the war in Ukraine also has echoes in the rest of the world, because it can also have consequences. The Norwegian politician assures that it is necessary to “guarantee that authoritarian leaders do not learn the lesson that when they use military force, when they violate international law as President Putin does in Ukraine, they can achieve what they want.”
“We know that China and Russia are getting closer and closer. Just a few weeks before the invasion, they signed a cooperation agreement that clearly states that the friendship between Russia and China knows no bounds. And we also know that China is propping up the Russian economy, which is a cause for concern,” the secretary-general said.
“We are concerned that China offers additional help to Russia and it is very important that we have a common response,” added Finnish Minister Pekka Haavisto, whose country formally joined the Alliance yesterday.
It is not the first time that the role of China and its role in the world has been analyzed within the Alliance, and in fact, in the approval of its strategic concept —approved at the Madrid summit last June— Beijing is accused of “attempting to subvert the rules-based international order, including in the space, cyber and maritime domainsâ€.
The meeting also discussed the future commitment that will be addressed at the Vilnius summit in early July that the allied countries spend “at least” 2% on defense, and that this objective is no longer “a ceiling”, but “a ground to go forwardâ€.
