Russia and China respond to NATO's new Strategic Concept
NATO's new Strategic Concept, presented at the Madrid Summit, for the first time points to China as one of the Alliance's main threats. In turn, Russia, which in the previous Concept was defined as a "potential partner", has become the biggest problem for Euro-Atlantic security after the invasion of Ukraine and the escalation of tensions with the West.
Responses from China and Russia have been swift. The Strategic Concept is the document that is periodically renewed at NATO Summits and sets out NATO's values and objectives in the short and medium term.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was the first to comment on the progress made at the Madrid Summit during a press conference in Turkmenistan, a country in Russia's sphere of influence. Putin initially made it clear that the accession of Sweden and Finland was not a problem for Russia, something that has permeated the negotiations, as if there were real obstacles on Russia's side, negotiations with Turkey would have been more complex. Turkey and Russia have a close relationship in the control of conflicts such as Syria. During his press conference in Turkmenistan, the Russian leader raised the tone by stating that "before there was no threat (regarding Sweden and Finland), whereas now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in the same way and create the same threats for the territories from which threats are created towards us".
Putin thus hints that there will be a military escalation on the northern flank if NATO troops are deployed in Finland and Sweden. Both EU member states were already covered by Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union, which provides for unconditional military assistance to a member state that is the victim of armed aggression. But the articulation of NATO assets is a step further for Russia, which does not want to see Finland and Sweden in a situation similar to that of the Baltic states. Finland has a long shared border with Russia, while Sweden has the strategic island of Gotland, which could revive Cold War militarisation.
On the Chinese side, China's ambassador to the EU, Zhang Ming, responded to journalists' questions by condemning the new terms in which the Strategic Concept addresses China. "The so-called NATO Strategic Concept, full of cold war ideas and ideological prejudices, is maliciously attacking and discrediting China. We firmly oppose it," Zhang Ming responded at a press conference.
China has long become the United States' main adversary for global supremacy. The conflict between the two powers has shifted to the Pacific theatre in particular, where China is gradually expanding through the development of island countries and its economy. For its part, the United States has redirected the military strategy of the Anglo-Saxon countries through the AUKUS alliance, relegating the Middle East to regional powers (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Israel) and Europe to the EU and NATO.
"We urge NATO to stop provoking confrontation by drawing ideological lines, to abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game approach, and to stop spreading disinformation and provocative statements against China. Given NATO's positioning of China as a "systemic challenge", we need to pay close attention and respond in a coordinated manner. When it comes to acts against China's interests, we will give firm and forceful responses," continued the Chinese ambassador to the EU.
The Chinese representative's anger is not only with the Atlantic Alliance, but also with the European Union, which he considers too close to NATO's bloc and confrontational policies. The European Parliament adopted a report in its plenary session on 7 June that China is considered a security challenge in the Indo-Pacific. While China remains the EU's main trading partner, the EU has timidly approached the government of the island of Taiwan, which China claims for the first time, sending a delegation of MEPs to the island on 3 November.
In the third week of June 2022, China launched its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, the first to be a 100 per cent domestic product. This new steel fortress is part of China's plan to strengthen its military presence in the Pacific and put increasing pressure on Taiwan. Analysts are still debating whether Taiwan would be able to withstand a Chinese military assault, regardless of the intervention of the AUKUS alliance. All signs point to a protracted economic and diplomatic battle, however, as is the norm in Chinese foreign policy.