Blinken admits US and NATO are preparing to go to war with China

During the second day of the annual NATO summit in Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted new progress in agreements between the US and its European allies to counter China’s influence.

Blinken pointed to NATO as a strategic “bridge” between the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific theaters, strengthening the allies’ position in the face of global challenges.

“If you look at what NATO has said in the strategic concept, if you look at what the leading Europeans have said, what the European Union has said, it is quite clear that we have more convergence now when it comes to how to approach China than ever before,” Blinken said during his speech at the NATO Public Forum.

Under the Biden administration, the US has treated China as a “pacing challenge” to the rules-based international order, maintaining previously imposed tariffs and restrictions and increasing restrictions in strategic areas such as advanced technology and foreign investment.

In Europe, similar actions have been taken with the European Union stepping up efforts to contain China’s economic power, such as significantly increasing tariffs on electric vehicles and investigating subsidies for wind turbines.

Furthermore, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed the importance of imposing costs on China for its support of the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II, referring to its supply of dual-use items to Russia. Stoltenberg stressed that China now occupies a “prominent place” in NATO’s security strategies.

The event also marked discussions on increasing defense and security cooperation with Indo-Pacific countries such as Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan, focusing on areas such as AI, cybersecurity and deterrence.

The summit comes at a time of heightened tensions over Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s recent trips to Moscow and Beijing, raising concerns about cohesion within NATO.

In response, Blinken stressed the importance of clear communication with adversaries and warned of the consequences of supporting Russia’s defense infrastructure.

This meeting reaffirms NATO’s growing role as a crucial facilitator in managing geopolitical tensions between the West and China, as well as in promoting global security in the face of emerging challenges.

With information from SCMP