Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a press conference after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on March 24.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited NATO and the European Union on Tuesday and Wednesday (March 24) to strengthen cooperation with allies to address “aggressive and coercive” behavior by the Chinese Communist Party, after the U.S. and its allies coordinated efforts to impose sanctions on Chinese officials who violated human rights in Xinjiang.
After completing talks with NATO foreign ministers Wednesday, Blinken said he wants to work with U.S. partners on “how to advance our common economic interests, counter some of China’s (CCP) aggressive and coercive behavior, and counter China’s (CCP) failure to meet its international commitments, at least in the past,” according to the Associated Press.
Blinken will also hold talks later Wednesday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. At that Time he will raise the strained state of relations with China.
Blinken: United allies against Communist China harder to ignore
“When we act together, we are much stronger and much more effective than either side acting alone,” Blinken said. He noted that the United States itself accounts for about 25 percent of global GDP, but with its European and Asian allies, it accounts for as much as 60 percent, “and it’s harder for Beijing to ignore that.” He said.
Blinken also expressed U.S. support for the EU on Wednesday. He said the EU is one of the United States’ closest partners and that China (the Chinese Communist Party) has a responsibility to honor its commitment to the EU and open its economy to Europe.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, reached a European-China Investment Agreement with Beijing in late December last year, but the agreement has to be approved by the European Parliament. In the agreement, the Chinese Communist Party promised to uphold international labor laws and allow Europe to participate more in the Chinese economy.
“Our judgment is that the onus is really on China [the Chinese Communist Party] to prove that the commitments it has made in terms of forced labor, subsidies to state-owned enterprises, are not just words.” Blinken said at a press conference after a NATO meeting.
NATO Secretary General: Chinese Communist Party Does Not Share Western Values
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the rise of the Chinese Communist Party has a “direct impact on our security. He also pointed out that China has invested heavily in military equipment, including nuclear-capable missiles.
“More importantly, China (CCP) is a country that does not share our values. We see this in the way they (the Chinese Communist Party) have handled the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, how they have suppressed the minority in their own country, the Uighurs, and how they have actually tried to undermine the rules-based international order.” Stoltenberg said.
The military rise of Communist China and Russia’s attempts to destabilize the West are threats that need to be confronted by NATO together, Blinken said.
New NATO Strategy Urges Indo-Pacific Non-Members to Get Involved
How to advance against the Chinese and Russian threats is part of NATO’s new strategy. The strategy urges greater involvement of non-NATO members in the Indo-Pacific region.
“It’s about building new partnerships with our partners in the neighborhood, training, capacity building, but also with like-minded countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan in the region. They are partners, so we want to strengthen our partnerships to maintain the rules-based order and also to deal with the consequences of the rise of China (Communist China).” Stoltenberg told reporters.
Stoltenberg also vowed that NATO would support Australia between its disputes with the Chinese Communist Party.
“They (the Chinese Communist Party) have behaved very badly in hitting Australia after Australia demanded an independent investigation into the origin of the coronavirus (CCP virus).” Stoltenberg said.
“When we see China (CCP) trying to bully countries around the world, it’s important to show that we can stand together.” He added.
Stoltenberg concluded Tuesday at the end of the first day of talks at the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting, saying, “The foreign ministers had a very positive discussion about our NATO 2030 initiative. The initiative is about how NATO will continue to adapt to a rapidly changing security environment, increasing threats and systemic competition, major changes in the global balance of power, and increasing challenges to the international order.” Stoltenberg said.
“We all agree that the transatlantic relationship embodied by NATO remains the cornerstone of our collective defense, the core of our political cohesion, and an important pillar of the rules-based order.” He noted.
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