BUCHAREST (Reuters) – NATO allies are concerned about China’s “rapid and opaque” military buildup and its cooperation with Russia, and they discussed on Wednesday ways to deal with the challenge, said the US Secretary of State following a meeting with his Alliance counterparts in Bucharest.
“Members of our alliance remain concerned about the coercive policy of the PRC (People’s Republic of China), its use of disinformation, its rapid and opaque military build-up, including its cooperation with Russia,” Antony said. Blinken at a press conference at the end of two days of discussions by foreign ministers of the thirty member countries in Romania.
The discussions again focused on the need for NATO to adapt in a concrete way to meet this challenge, he continued.
“But we also remain committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with China wherever we can and we welcome opportunities to work together on common challenges,” added the head of the American diplomacy.
“There is the realization that there is in many respects what the Europeans call a systemic rivalry between China and many of our countries. But there is also the realization that, wherever possible, we must find the ways to cooperate on the really important issues,” he said.
(Report Humeyra Pamuk; written by Doina Chiacu; French version Jean-Stéphane Brosse, edited by Kate Entringer)
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