“The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has released a report on its reform, giving a clear warning against China. German Foreign Minister Maas also stressed that China’s military rise must be taken into account in discussions of NATO reform. At the same time, the German economy ministry also banned a plan by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) to acquire a German satellite technology company, citing “a serious threat to public order and security” as the reason.
Immediately after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers’ meeting, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas issued a statement saying that in discussing NATO reform, a Chinese approach must be considered, taking into account China’s military rise. The statement was made in response to the release of a NATO reform report entitled NATO 2030, which reaffirms that Russia will remain NATO’s main adversary for the next 10 years, and also warns against the potential threat of China and the need for the alliance to focus more on China.
The NATO report explicitly warns NATO countries against the rise of China, stressing that “China is no longer the benign trading partner that the West has always hoped it would be, but rather the rising power that NATO must confront in this century. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has been supportive of NATO’s efforts to contain China. He said, “China is not our adversary, and we need to work with China on issues such as arms control and climate. But we also face major challenges to our security, and China is investing massively in new weapons, from the Arctic to Africa, and getting closer to us by investing in our infrastructure. China does not share our values, does not respect basic human rights, and seeks to intimidate other countries. “
The NATO report argues that while China does not currently pose a threat similar to Russia’s in Europe and the Atlantic, in the long term China is extending its global military delivery capabilities to the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Arctic regions, and that China and Russia are increasing their military cooperation, as well as developing long-range missiles, expanding its nuclear arsenal, new fighter jets, aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, and air and space attack capabilities.
Commenting on the report, Valérie Niquet, a researcher at the FRS, a French think tank, pointed out that NATO’s reference to the Chinese threat is a positive sign of the development of contemporary society in the face of the rise of new powers, but it does not mean that there are no internal murmurs. The fact that China has become an issue of concern to the West, including NATO, has led to an evolution of the latest strategy and a heated debate within NATO,” she said. Some member states want NATO to maintain its response to direct threats in Europe, such as Russia, without diverting its initial mission to focus on the Chinese threat, not to mention the fact that some member states have close ties to China, making them lose perspective on China’s strengths and ambitions, and the alienation of the threat difficult. NATO is trying to respond to the direct military threat, but the Chinese threat is comprehensive, encompassing the struggle for cyber control of influence, economic and trade tensions, and not just a direct threat to the European military.”
China’s all-out threat has finally made German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been less critical of China for its economy, realize the seriousness of the problem. The German Ministry of Economics confirmed that the Federal Cabinet decided on February 2 to prohibit the sale of IMST GmbH, a partner of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and an electronics company for wireless communications and satellite technology, to China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) in accordance with the implementing regulations of the Foreign Economic Law, arguing that the acquisition would pose a substantial and serious risk of endangering German public order or security.
The German Ministry of Economic Affairs argued that if the ban is not imposed on Addsino, a company involved in military industry, key technologies held by IMST will flow to China to strengthen its armaments. The cabinet document also highlights the fact that since IMST is engaged in the development of commercial mobile communication technologies, including 5G development technologies, falling under the control of a Chinese military-industrial company could threaten the future technological autonomy of German mobile communications and make it no longer a reliable partner for the German government.
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