NATO Increasingly Concerned About China

Video Above: China’s Navy is Larger than the US but can it Compete?

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

For the first time in its decades long history, the NATO alliance plans to formally cite “China” in its soon to be released Strategic Concept paper, a substantial adaptation which seems to reflect concern about Russian-Chinese collaboration and the global threat presented by China.

When asked about this upcoming Strategic Concept, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was clear that indeed the NATO alliance will be keeping a close eye on China and the security situation in the Pacific.

“We’ve seen a number of countries that are members of this Alliance operate in the Indo-Pacific, some in conjunction with us and other countries like Australia and Japan,” Austin said following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, Belgium. “The alliance as a whole…….. will pay attention to what’s going on in the region.”

There are a number of pertinent things which this move seems to suggest, the most obvious of which simply being China’s ability to present substantial security threats beyond the Pacific theater, potentially reaching Europe and the Mediterranean. 

The sheer size and reach of the Chinese Navy, for instance, enables it to travel much farther distances than it previously could. China has quickly transitioned from a dominant regional power into a rival international power seeking dominance. Part of this global Chinese effort, articulated in the Pentagon’s annual report on China, is to vastly expand its global footprint in vital areas such as Africa.