At Vilnius Summit, NATO to Seek Concrete Actions on China

WHITE HOUSE - As the war on Ukraine rages, Russia remains the biggest and most immediate threat for NATO. However, as allied leaders meet for their summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week, a key agenda item will be to implement the Strategic Concept adopted during the Madrid summit in 2022, where the alliance recognized security challenges emanating from China. NATO leaders have warned that what is happening in Europe today can happen in Asia tomorrow. It has hit back on NATO, including on floated plans to establish a NATO office in Japan. "Asia lies beyond the geographical scope of the North Atlantic and has no need for a replica of NATO. However, we have seen NATO bent on going east into this region, interfering in regional affairs and inciting bloc confrontation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said last month. "What is NATO really up to? This calls for high vigilance among countries in the world, particularly in Asia.". Indo-Pacific partners Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea attended the NATO summit last year and will again participate in Vilnius. NATO has said it remains "Open to constructive engagement" with Beijing.