NATO accelerates towards the Far East in Vilnius

In a meeting on paper dominated by the Ukrainian accession to NATO, China was the other ‘hot dish’ on leaders’ menu, who approved packages to reinforce links on security and new technologies with Indo-Pacific countries, in a move that indicates that NATO is increasing its focus on China’s assertiveness and accelerating on its shift to Asia.

NATO is “concerned about China’s heavy military build-up, the modernization and expansion of its nuclear forces.” said journalists NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. China’s assertiveness requires “even closer coordination between NATO, the EU, and our Indo-Pacific partners. […] What happens in Asia matters for Europe and what happens in Europe matters for Asia,” as security is nowadays “global,” he said, repeating several times a new mantra sealing the new global nature of NATO.

Stoltenberg announced that NATO is strongly reinforcing its ties with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea with tailored partnership programmes, including joint work on issues like maritime security, new technologies, cyber (including cyber exercises), climate change, and resilience. He also said that some Japanese staff work at NATO’s Maritime headquarters in Northwood in the United Kingdom.

This shift towards the Asiatic pivot corresponds to a US willingness to be more present in the Pacific as China is expanding its military machine. But the issue has been so far extremely divisive in Europe – also within the EU context – as some countries have strong economic ties with Beijing, such as France, which has been particularly vocal against the idea of opening a NATO HQ in Japan. This is why NATO has not indicated China as a threat in its last Strategic Concept, and also, at the EU level, relationships with the Eastern country are considered multifaceted.

But at the Summit – where Pacific countries participated, as it has always happened in the last period – it was clear that the process had started. “We expect that China by 2035 will have 1500 nuclear warheads on missiles that can reach North America and the whole of Europe, NATO territory. So we are gradually expanding what we are doing together simply because our security is interlinked,” said Stoltenberg, mentioning the recent missile launch in North Korea.

In the meantime, a real “show” of unity was made during the G7 leaders’ ‘family photo’ after the countries signed a Joint Declaration to support Ukraine – Japan, a G7 member included. Willing to show that the assistance is mutual and works both ways.

 “There are very few people in Europe or continental United States or North American continent who thought this man [Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida] would stand up to the aid of Ukraine also increasing military budget […] because he understood that when in any part of the world has 185,000 people soldiers crossing a border are stealing sovereignty from another nation that affects the whole world,” commented US President Joe Biden, pointing at the Japanese leader.

And the Japanese leader was on the same page when he said that “By engaging in discussions that included a wide range of invited countries, we agreed that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion are unacceptable anywhere in the world and to safeguard our free world based on the rule of law.”

Caterina Tani from Brussels