Last month, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg revealed that European defence purchases have generated over US$140 billion in contracts for US companies, adding: “Nato is good for US security, for US industry and for US jobs.”
Over the past five years, depictions of China have become more assertive. But the US has not succeeded in getting Nato to see China as a security threat equivalent to Russia. This suggests a divergent European approach.
While the US focuses on the Indo-Pacific, Europe remains primarily concerned with Ukraine. Nato is a deterrence organisation with a distinct geographic focus, not an entity tasked with solving all global issues. Its defence and deterrence capabilities are concentrated in the Euro-Atlantic region for explicit reasons.
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Should China be concerned about the latest Japan-Philippines security pact?
Should China be concerned about the latest Japan-Philippines security pact?
Undeniably, America’s Indo-Pacific card carries consequences. It undermines genuine security threats on Europe, diverts attention from critical regions like the Atlantic and Mediterranean, and heightens China’s concerns over Nato as a security hazard, exacerbating unease over Europe’s weighty reliance on US security while nourishing anti-Western narratives.
Europe could adopt a definitive approach by clearly delineating Nato’s strategy for three pivotal theatres: Ukraine, Taiwan and the broader Indo-Pacific. This involves specifying its security objectives in each region, whether prioritising negotiation, diplomacy, deterrence, sanctions, coercion or not engaging at all.
Nato’s role in Ukraine has been to provide support without direct intervention. Given that it refrains from directly intervening in a conflict on the continent, Europe will be even less inclined to engage in matters over 10,000km away, where no agreement operates.
There is an opportunity for China to commit to peace by dissuading Washington from leveraging Nato against it. China can urge Russia to withdraw from Ukraine, showing its commitment to European security, positioning itself as a stabilising influence and preventing Nato’s potential enlargement into the Indo-Pacific.
Europe and Nato can chart a course that not only addresses pressing security concerns but also fosters a balanced and forward-thinking approach to international relations. This is essential to cementing Nato’s role as a cornerstone of global security in the decades ahead.
Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa is a geopolitics analyst with a specialisation in EU-Asia relations