NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that China did not believe in democratic values of the alliance and posed a "challenge" for its security and interests
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th January, 2023) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that China did not believe in democratic values of the alliance and posed a "challenge" for its security and interests.
"We do not regard China as an adversary, we believe that we should engage with China on issues like arms control, climate change and other issues. But, at the same time, we are very clear that China poses a challenge to our values, to our interests and to our security. There are many reasons for that, partly because China does not share our values," Stoltenberg said during a Q&A session at the CHEY Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul.
The NATO chief added that judging from Beijing's policies on minorities and democratic rights, China does not believe in democracy and freedom of speech.
"China is also a challenge because we see that China is investing heavily in new modern military capabilities, including long-range missiles that can reach all NATO territory, of course also this region (the Korean Peninsula), advanced nuclear weapons, naval capabilities," Stoltenberg said.
In June 2022, NATO adopted a new strategic concept at its summit in Madrid. The concept is the organization's key document, which confirms the alliance's values and goals, and presents the collective estimate of the security situation. The 2022 concept says that China's "stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge" NATO's interests, security and values.
