Nato's China syndrome

From being a distant threat, Beijing takes centre stage

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Three issues were expected to dominate the 75th anniversary summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) in Washington. They Hamas conflict. But it was China that ended up dominating proceedings. were US President Joe Biden's health, the war in Ukraine, and the IsraelThis was reflected in the final communique with its unprecedented mention of China. The text approved by all 32 Nato members described China as a "decisive enabler" of Russia's war against Ukraine, urged Beijing to "cease" all material and political support to Russia's military, and highlighted concern about China's nuclear arsenal and offensive capabilities in space. The short point about this explicit language a departure from bland references to the country in a 2019 statement is that Nato has signalled a significant intensification of its commitment to Ukraine. As the summit began, the first batch of US-built F16 "Fighting Falcon" fighter jets was transferred to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands, and is expected t