NATO Chief warns what's happening in EU can happen in Asia; invokes China-Taiwan dispute

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday, February 18 warned that the Ukriane-like scenario might repeat on the Asian continent, linking Russia’s war in Ukraine to China's Taiwan quest. Indicating that Beijing might launch a similar invasion of the self-governed island, Stoltenberg told the Munich Security Conference that “What is happening in Europe today, could happen in east Asia tomorrow.”  Commenting on one year anniversary of Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, NATO's Secretary General also declared that Russia's President Vladimir Putin "is not planning for peace but for more war." He stressed that NATO member states must "give Ukraine what they need to win and prevail as a sovereign, independent nation in Europe."

'Beijing is watching Ukraine war closely': NATO chief

Stoltenberg warned that Beijing “is watching closely to see the price Russia pays or the reward it receives for its aggression.” He continued that “even if the war ends tomorrow,” Europe's security environment is "changed for the long term.” NATO's chief reiterated that if Russia's President Putin wins in Ukraine, "the message to him and other authoritarian leaders will be that they can use force to get what they want." This, he stressed, makes the world more dangerous. War in Ukraine demonstrates that security is not regional, it is global, stated NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg, invoking references to China and Taiwan. "We can no longer afford to treat defence as optional. It is a necessity," he maintained. 

"War in Ukraine has made clear the danger of over-reliance on authoritarian regimes," North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] Secretary General Stoltenberg said at thr Munich Security Conference. 

Earlier, US' former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had raised prospects of the Chinese invasion of Taiwan, saying that it remains a “distinct threat,” while also insisting that the Biden administration hasn't changed its stance on diplomacy with the island despite Chinese warnings. “I think it remains a distinct threat that there could be a military contingency around Taiwan,” Sullivan had warned in an interview. 

“There are elements that give us some concern," he stated. Taiwanese Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-chang had also propelled similar cautions, saying that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will be "well-prepared" and militarily equipped to invade Taiwan by 2025. Chinese PLA's continued aggression infringing the Taiwan Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) and naval drills along the Taiwan Strait demonstrates its mock drill of storming the island within two years, the Taiwanese Defense Minister noted at a forum.