From July 8th to 19th, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Belarus have carried out an 11-day “counter-terrorism” exercise in the border region near Poland, a NATO member. This move is widely seen as CCP’s provocation against NATO. Taiwanese scholars believe that this is CCP’s response to the US-led Indo-Pacific strategic deployment, by cozying up to Russia and Belarus and forming a coalition to counter NATO in a “group” manner.
The NATO Summit in Washington views CCP as the “decisive driver” of the Russia-Ukraine war, a disruptor of the international order, and strengthens cooperation with the “Quad” countries. Meanwhile, CCP, along with Belarus and Russia, conducts military exercises in NATO’s backyard and the Asia-Pacific region to counter NATO. Experts point out that NATO sees CCP as a strategic threat, and CCP’s strategic mistakes have awakened the US strategically.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), consisting of 32 member countries, issued the “Washington Summit Declaration” on July 10, condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and harshly criticizing CCP for being the “decisive driver” behind Russia’s war on Ukraine, undermining the international order and continuing to challenge NATO’s interests, security, and values.
Just a day before the NATO summit, the Chinese and Belarusian militaries conducted a joint land military exercise named “Eagle Assault-2024” in the Belarusian city of Brest, located 5 kilometers from the border of NATO member Poland and 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg stated that this showed CCP is “closer to the alliance’s borders than ever before.”
Belarus is closely allied with Russia, supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and both countries are countering the Western world led by the US in international affairs.
Belarus has joined CCP’s “Belt and Road Initiative” and is the latest country to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization led by CCP, forming a comprehensive strategic partnership. After joining the “Belt and Road Initiative,” China and Belarus have rapidly developed cooperation in trade and international politics. As demonstrated by the joint exercise, Belarus provides CCP with a direct base to deter NATO in Eastern Europe.
From July 14th to 17th, CCP and Russia conducted the “Maritime Cooperation-2024” joint military exercise in the South China Sea, covering anti-aircraft and anti-submarine attacks, as well as maritime rescue operations.
In response to these actions, Qí Lèyì, a senior media figure and military commentator in Taiwan, told The Epoch Times that CCP, in response to the US-led Indo-Pacific strategic deployment, is conducting military exercises with Russia and Belarus simultaneously in the Asia-Pacific and European regions, forming a coalition to counter NATO in a “group” manner.
Simultaneously, CCP continues to take unusual military actions in the Taiwan Strait. According to the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense report on July 11th, in the past 24 hours, a total of 66 CCP military aircraft and 7 warships were detected operating near Taiwan, setting a record high for a single day. Among them, 56 CCP military aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
The day before, the increasing number of CCP fighter jets cooperated with the Shandong aircraft carrier to conduct maritime and aerial joint training exercises in the nearby waters.
Qí Lèyì further pointed out, “Every step CCP takes is proving that the US and Europe’s judgment is correct: CCP is a source of threat. CCP is continually proving this.”
Last week’s NATO Washington Summit condemned CCP for providing weapons parts, equipment, and raw materials to Russia, conducting malicious cyber activities, spreading false information, rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal, and possessing advanced delivery systems, among other actions. The summit criticized CCP for continually challenging NATO’s interests, security, and values, deepening its strategic partnership with Russia, and attempting to change the rule-based international order.
The summit stated that NATO is enhancing collective awareness, resilience, and preparedness, and is guarding against CCP’s coercive strategies and efforts to divide the alliance.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned at a press conference on the 10th that this situation cannot continue.
US President Joe Biden warned CCP on July 11th that aiding Russia in the Ukraine conflict will not bring economic benefits and will entail consequences to weaken Pacific and European countries.
NATO’s strong stance has drawn attention from international public opinion and experts. Su Ziyun, Director of the Strategic and Resources Department at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told The Epoch Times that NATO recognizes CCP as the primary challenger and threat. CCP has been providing war support to Russia. Linking CCP with Russia is crucial.
Due to CCP’s significant military buildup and continuous hegemonic expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly causing trouble in the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and South China Sea, it not only directly threatens Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines but also raises alarms and concerns within NATO. Since 2022, NATO has begun inviting Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, the four Indo-Pacific partners, to attend summits.
Su Ziyun pointed out, “NATO recognizes that CCP itself is the main future threat.” Besides ballistic missiles and intercontinental missiles threatening Europe, the free navigation in the Indo-Pacific region is vital for NATO. For example, the route from Northeast Asia to Europe accounts for 26% of global trade. In this context, NATO’s deterrent attitude will be reinforced.
He added that South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan are essential supply chains for NATO. With CCP posing a threat in the Indo-Pacific region, NATO will gradually expand its influence to the Indo-Pacific region.
In the declaration issued at the NATO summit, NATO stated that it would deepen partnerships and discuss common security challenges and areas of cooperation with Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the “Quad” countries, and EU leaders.
The declaration explicitly mentioned the significance of the Indo-Pacific region to NATO, as its development directly affects security in the European-Atlantic region. NATO welcomes contributions from Asia-Pacific partners to European-Atlantic security and strengthens dialogues with the “Quad” countries to address cross-regional challenges.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan previously stated that NATO and the “Quad” countries would launch four new joint projects, emphasizing the importance and interconnection of relations between the US, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific region.
Su Ziyun also cited a specific indicator of NATO’s focus on Indo-Pacific security and containment of CCP: this year, six countries have dispatched warships through the Taiwan Strait, not just the common US and Canada but also France, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the UK. “This situation should illustrate NATO’s attitude.”
Qí Lèyì also noted, “European cooperation on security with the Indo-Pacific is aligning. This is the most significant shift since the Cold War, a major change in international politics and global security situations.”
“Those who confront Western countries, including the US, do not have good outcomes. CCP has made significant strategic mistakes in recent years. The biggest strategic error is awakening the US strategically, leading to a unified view in the US that China (CCP) is a potential adversary,” said Qí Lèyì.