The communique issued by the NATO summit yesterday, treats both Russia and China as opponents of the “rules-based international order” that the alliance seeks to “defend.” However, as an editorial in Global Times notes, it does so with a slight semantic difference, that is, Russia is labeled a “threat” while China is a “challenge.” This, says GT, reflects differences among members of the alliance on how to relate to China, as some members have important trade and economic relations with China that they wish to maintain.
On China, the communique claims the following: “China’s stated ambitions and assertive behaviour present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to Alliance security,” it claims. “China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal with more warheads and a larger number of sophisticated delivery systems to establish a nuclear triad.” It further expresses concern about China’s military cooperation with Russia and accuses China of a lack of transparency and “use of disinformation.”
