Asked about NATO chief Mark Rutte’s call for increased NATO spending to expand its capabilities against both Russia and China, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun replied that those like Rutte “seek nothing but excuses to allow NATO to drastically grow its military spending, arbitrarily reach beyond its geographical scope and mandate, and advance eastward into the Asia-Pacific.”
“NATO countries already account for 55% of the world’s total military spending in 2024. Yet they’re still required to raise defense investment to 5% of GDP to build a ‘more lethal NATO.’ What exactly is NATO’s objective behind this? NATO calls itself a regional organization, but it keeps reaching beyond the geographic scope defined in its treaty and into the Asia-Pacific,” he declared.
