Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has said that China’s “massive” military buildup has raised the risk of conflict over Taiwan, potentially drawing in Russia and impacting European security.
Mr Rutte said Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand were closely aligned with Nato now because they were deeply concerned about China’s military buildup and the threat it poses.
“We have this close relationship … exactly for the reason that these countries are very, very worried about the massive military buildup in China,” he said ahead of the Nato summit in The Hague.
If China moved on Taiwan, Mr Rutte claimed, there was a real possibility Beijing would urge Russia to create trouble in Europe so as to divide Nato’s attention and resources.
“That’s one of the reasons why we have to stand ready, and we cannot be naive,” Mr Rutte added. “We have to be clear on this, and that is why that extra defence spending is so important. That is why Nato does not have an alliance opt-out, side deals, etc, because we all have to chip in.”
Beijing routinely sends warplanes and naval vessels towards Taiwan, with the scale and intensity of these manoeuvres increasing in recent years. Taiwanese officials have warned that China might use such exercises as cover for a surprise attack.
Any outbreak of hostilities could quickly draw in the US, which maintains key alliances in the region, supplies Taiwan with advanced weaponry, and is legally obligated to respond to threats against the island.
China considers Taiwan to be a breakaway province, and its president, Xi Jinping, has vowed to “reunite” the democratically governed island with the mainland, by force if necessary.
Speaking at a pre-summit press conference, Mr Rutte said Nato was working to grow more capable and that its leaders were set to take big steps to strengthen the alliance’s power. He described this as making Nato “stronger, fairer, and more lethal”.
A central part of the proposed transformation, he said, was a major increase in military spending, with member states aiming to raise the benchmark to 5 per cent of their GDP, more than doubling the longstanding 2 per cent target.
