NATO Summit – Mentions about Russia's "Threat" and China's "Challenge"

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

ＮＡＴＯ首脳会議、ロシアの「脅威」と中国の「挑戦」に言及

2021.06.15 Tue posted at 08:16 JST

（ＣＮＮ） 北大西洋条約機構（ＮＡＴＯ）は１４日、ベルギーの首都ブリュッセルで首脳会議を開き、ロシアの「脅威」と中国による「挑戦」に言及した共同声明を発表した。

共同声明では「ロシアの攻撃的な行動は、欧州と大西洋の安全保障に対する脅威となる」と指摘。中国については、「中国の影響力拡大と国際政策は、我々が同盟機構として対処する必要のある課題を突き付けうる」とし、ＮＡＴＯ加盟国は「ＮＡＴＯの安全保障上の利益を守ることを目的に中国と関与していく」と表明した。

ＮＡＴＯはまた、サイバー攻撃があれば相互防衛条項の発動につながりうるとの認識で一致。加盟３０カ国の首脳は「重大で悪意ある累積的なサイバー活動の影響を受ければ、武力攻撃に相当するとみなされる可能性がある」との見解で一致した。武力攻撃に相当するとの評価が下された場合、加盟国間の相互防衛を定めたＮＡＴＯ条約第５条の発動につながる可能性がある。

記者会見では、バイデン米大統領が近く予定されるロシアのプーチン大統領との会談について聞かれる場面もあった。バイデン氏は会談の様子や議題について詳細な見通しを示すのは控えたものの、「レッドライン（越えてはならない一線）」がどこにあるのかを明確にするつもりだと表明した。

ＮＡＴＯの首脳はおおむね、アフガニスタン駐留米軍の撤退を決めた米国の判断を支持した。一部の米同盟国は首脳会議に先立ち、バイデン氏が９月１１日までにアフガンから米軍を撤退させると発表したとき、事前に適切な相談が行われていなかったと不満を示していた。米軍撤退後のアフガンでどうやって治安を維持できるのか疑問視する声も出ている。

バイデン氏はＮＡＴＯに対し、専制主義者や偽のポピュリズムに立ち向かうよう要請。「民主主義は今でも時代の課題に打ち勝ち、人々の必要とすることを実現できると世界や国民に証明する」よう改めて呼び掛けた。

Translation

(CNN) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held a summit meeting in Brussels, the capital of Belgium on the 14th, and issued a joint statement touching on Russia's "threat" and China's "challenge."

The joint statement pointed out that "Russia's aggressive actions pose a security threat to Europe and the Atlantic.” Regarding China, it expressed that "China's growing influence and international policy can pose challenges” and so on; and expressed that the NATO member states would “Engage China with the aim to protect NATO's security interests.”

NATO also agreed that if there was a cyberattack it could lead to the invocation of a mutual defense clause. Leaders of the 30-member states agreed that "if affected by serious and malicious cumulative cyber activity, it will be considered as an equivalent to armed attack." If it was evaluated as equivalent to an armed attack, it could lead to the invocation of Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which stipulated mutual defense between member states.

At the press conference, US President Joe Biden was also asked about the upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden declined to give a detailed outlook on the talk and agenda, but said he would clarify where the "red line" (a line that must not be crossed) would be.

NATO leaders generally supported the US decision to withdraw US troops stationed in Afghanistan. Prior to the summit, some US allies complained that Biden had not been properly consulted in advance when he announced that he would withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by September 11. Some have questioned how security could be maintained in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops.

Biden urged NATO to confront tyrannical and fake populism. He reiterated that "democracy has overcome the challenges of the time so far and proved to the world and the people that it can do what people need."

              So, it seems that in dealing with China, a kind of common ground or consensus has been reached among major developed countries in the world, from G7 to EU and NATO. As usual, China will continue to respond by allying with third world countries in South America, Africa and South-east Asia.