US President Donald Trump will meet with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg later this week and the so-called security threat from China will be one of the major topics on their agenda. However, NATO should know better on what it means to take on China as its enemy, APA reports citing Sputnik News.
Ai Jun - Some people in the US are designing NATO's top concern and have found a new enemy for the organisation - China.
"NATO allies must carefully consider the long-term risks of the choices they make regarding 5G networks… I'm pleased that NATO's moving forward to more thoroughly assess the long-term challenges that a growing and more assertive China presents to the alliance", US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said on 25 October.
This is not the first time for Washington to suggest NATO put the focus on Beijing.
"Perhaps the greatest challenge NATO will face in the coming decades is how we must all adjust to the rise of the People's Republic of China", US Vice President Mike Pence said at the 70th anniversary celebration of the security alliance.
NATO, for its part, echoed this concern. In August, Stoltenberg noted that NATO needs to understand the implications of China's rise, which may pose a threat to its member states.
NATO was formed amid tensions between Western countries and the former Soviet Union during the Cold War. Its main purpose was to defend member states from threats by communist countries. Its opponent, the Warsaw Pact, collapsed with the end of the Cold War, but the military nature of NATO has not changed.
Normally, the cohesion of any military alliance stems from military collaboration, which requires a common enemy among its members. Terrorism and Russia have been NATO's bitter enemies. But now, the bloc is looking for a new target. Led by the US, the organisation is fixing their eyes on China.
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