The Netherlands Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) released its annual threat report on Tuesday, warning of the rapid growth of China’s network espionage capabilities and its increasing focus on Western defense industry intelligence, posing a serious threat to Europe.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, MIVD Director and Rear Admiral Peter Reesink stated that China’s main intention is to acquire sensitive technology from Western military institutions and arms manufacturers, while searching for vulnerabilities in their defense systems.
He said, “China has a very strong cyber operational capability, with a highly complex organizational structure. We have vulnerabilities and are not always able to detect all the threats created by China.”
The annual report highlighted that China, like Russia, poses an increasingly serious strategic threat to Europe, with the deepening cooperation between the two nations amplifying the dangers. Both Russia and China harbor geopolitical ambitions and jointly resist Western global influence, with Russia viewing China as a reliable ally.
The report also emphasized that Russia remains the largest and most direct threat to peace and stability on the European continent. Russia is already preparing for a potential military conflict with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) within a year after the end of the conflict in Ukraine.
However, the report also stressed that the likelihood of direct conflict between Russia and Europe during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is extremely low.
Regarding military cooperation between Russia and China, the report pointed out that China’s military eagerly seeks lessons from Russia’s combat experience in Ukraine, while Russia benefits from China’s technological exports to sustain its weapons industry.
Reesink warned in a statement that the weakening of the international order has increased the risks faced by Europe, especially in a situation where “rules are becoming increasingly unclear, and power is becoming a decisive factor.”
At the time of the report’s release, European officials are concerned about the fractures in their relationship with the United States over the past year, which has made Europe more vulnerable in terms of security.
Analysts point out that Europe is significantly behind the United States and its Indo-Pacific allies in addressing the threat posed by China. Oriana Skylar Mastro, a researcher at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, commented, “Europe’s response still heavily focuses on Russia, viewing China only as an indirect threat.”
She noted that European countries are even years behind allies such as Japan and Australia in dealing with the Chinese threat, still prioritizing economic opportunities over security concerns when it comes to China, stating that “Europe as a whole does not feel the threat from China.”
This report comes from one of the European countries that dares to speak out about the threats posed by Russia and China, representing another formal national intelligence assessment document following similar warnings issued by several countries bordering Russia.