Agenda for NATO summit expected to include China issues

While the 2024 NATO summit in Washington this week is expected to largely focus on Russia's war in Ukraine, the alliance is also set to discuss threats posed by China and the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region. These matters are likely to include China's aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, sovereignty disputes in the sea between China and its neighbors, Taiwan's security, and the North Korean nuclear issue. The wording continues the consensus among NATO member states on security threats related to China since the 2021 summit in Brussels. The summit is expected to send a tougher signal than ever on China issues. NATO had planned to set up a liaison office in Tokyo, making it a useful platform for NATO to cooperate with Indo-Pacific partners. He said the summit needs to avoid angering China in its wording and make it clear that NATO's expansion of membership will not include countries in the Indo-Pacific region. "That's how you preempt the Chinese narrative that the United States is trying to create a NATO for Asia or expand NATO into Asia," Sacks said.