NATO raises spectre of Russia-China-North Korea nuclear alliance 'challenging ... trends now
NATO today raised concerns of a nuclear alliance between Russia, China and North Korea that would 'challenge the world order'.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that a Russian victory in Ukraine would embolden China to potentially invade the self-governing island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own.
Stoltenberg said China is 'learning lessons' from Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine as he warned: 'What is happening in Europe today could happen in East Asia tomorrow.'
The NATO chief made the comments during a trip to Japan in which he and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to strengthen ties with the West amid increasing security fears over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its growing military-cooperation with China.
NATO today raised concerns of a nuclear alliance between Russia, China and North Korea that would 'challenge the world order'. Pictured: North Korea launches a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, on November 18, 2022
The leaders also raised concerns about Russia's nuclear threats. Pictured: The launch of Russian Sarmat ballistic missile in April 2022
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (L) and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands after holding a joint media briefing on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan
'The world is at a historical inflection point in the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II,' Stoltenberg and Kishida said in a statement.
The leaders also raised concerns about Russia's nuclear threats, joint military drills between Russia and China near Japan, and North Korea's development of nuclear weapons.
It comes after Russia yesterday warned it is on the 'verge of a direct collision with the US and NATO' and it is 'very possible' there will be no nuclear arms control treaty with America after 2026 due to Washington's efforts to inflict 'strategic defeat' on Moscow in Ukraine.
Stoltenberg today told reporters a Russian victory in Ukraine would embolden China at a time when it is building up its military, 'bullying its neighbors and threatening Taiwan'.
'The war in Ukraine demonstrates that our security is closely interconnected,' Stoltenberg said during his visit at the Iruma Air Base north of Tokyo.
'If President Putin wins in Ukraine it will be a tragedy for the Ukrainians, but it will also send a very dangerous message to authoritarian leaders all over the world because then the message will be that when they use military force they can achieve their goals,' he said. 'So the war in Ukraine matters for all of us.'
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