NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte yesterday expressed concern about Taiwan's situation amid a "massive military buildup" by China.
He was speaking at a news conference on the eve of the NATO summit in The Hague.
“We have this close relationship now with Japan and [South] Korea, Australia and New Zealand, exactly for the reason that these countries are very, very worried about [China's] massive military buildup,” Rutte said.
Photo courtesy of NATO via CNA
Three to five Chinese defense companies now rank among the world's top 10, unlike a few years ago when none were on the list, he said.
"Of course, they don't do this only because they want to have nice parades in Beijing," he said.
Referring to the worst-case scenario in which the US, under the Taiwan Relations Act, is obliged to support or even defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, Rutte said that NATO, as an alliance, has no "opt-out" option.
However, China would make sure that Russia "keeps us busy here [in Europe]" if they "try anything with Taiwan," he said.
"That is one of the reasons why we have to stand ready, and we cannot be naive," Rutte said, adding that "extra defense spending is important."
NATO member nations would reach the 2014 benchmark of investing 2 percent of GDP in defense this year, but a new baseline of 5 percent of GDP would be introduced at the summit, he said.
Regarding the situation in Iran, Rutte said that NATO members have "long agreed that Iran must not develop a nuclear weapon.”
They have "repeatedly urged Iran to meet its obligations under the non-proliferation treaty," he added.
Meanwhile, NATO's "support for Ukraine is unwavering and will persist," he said, adding that European and Canadian allies have pledged more than 35 billion euros (US$40.6 billion) of additional security assistance to Ukraine for the year ahead.
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