Taiwan says it’s happy to see NATO face up to China. Members of the security pact agreed on a new “strategic concept” on Wednesday — the first in 12 years. And for the first time, the document names China as a threat to NATO interests.
According to NATO, China’s “stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge [NATO’s] interests, security and values.” It says China is using “malicious hybrid and cyber operations” along with “confrontational rhetoric and disinformation” to target NATO allies. The organization calls these “systemic challenges.”
Although the document does not explicitly mention Taiwan, it does say that NATO will work with “new and existing partners in the Indo-Pacific.” And following Wednesday’s NATO meeting, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accused China of “bullying its neighbors and threatening Taiwan.”
Taiwan’s foreign ministry has welcomed the show of support. It says Taiwan will keep working with its partners to uphold the rules-based international order.