NATO Is Concerned About China's “Opaque” Military Buildup: Blinken

NATO allies are concerned about China's rapid and opaque military buildup, as well as its cooperation with Russia, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He also discussed concrete ways to address Beijing's challenges on Wednesday. 

“The members of our alliance remain concerned by China's coercive policies, use of disinformation and rapid, opaque military buildup, including cooperation with Russia,” Blinken said at a news conference following a two-day meeting of Western defence alliance foreign ministers.

“However, we remain committed to engaging in constructive dialogue with China wherever possible and welcome opportunities to collaborate on common challenges,” he added.

Blinken's comments came after Moscow said Russian and Chinese strategic warplanes, including Tupolev-95 long-range “Bear” bombers, were conducting joint patrols over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea and US ally South Korea said it had scrambled fighter jets as two Chinese and six Russian warplanes entered its air defence zone.

Report after a Pentagon report said China would likely have a stockpile of 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 if it continues at its current rate of nuclear buildup, underscoring growing US concerns about Beijing's intentions for its expanding arsenal.

China and Russia alarmed the US and its allies in February when they announced a “no limits” strategic partnership with Russia, just days before Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

South Korea and its neighbour Japan have since developed closer ties with NATO, with South Korean firms shipping armaments to Russia’s neighbour and NATO member Poland this year.

While NATO remains focused on maintaining unified support for Ukraine, members also want to strengthen the alliance’s resilience by considering new challenges, including those posed by China, according to Blinken.

“What we talked about today was, once again, making sure that we are working to adapt in concrete ways to meet the challenge,” Blinken said without going into further detail.

Beyond the Cold War divisions, the United States and its allies recognise a competition to shape the world.

“There is an acknowledgement that there is, in many ways, what Europeans call a systemic rivalry between China and many of our countries, however, there is a recognition that wherever possible, we must find ways to collaborate on the really big issues,” Blinken said.