World: Chief of NATO, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg during the summit urged members to respond to China’s illegitimate supremacy as a serious threat to the future.
Tensions grew during the presidency of Donald Trump, who complained about his country’s financial contributions to the alliance and questioned US commitment to defend European partners. However, with the advent of Biden as the President, a decline in acrimony was witnessed as Mr Biden asserted his allegiance to the72-year-old Alliance.
Attending the first NATO Summit after taking charge of the White House, President Joe Biden cautioned the summit members to prepare to adapt to new challenges from China and Russia.
“I think that there is a growing recognition over the last couple of years that we have new challenges,” Biden told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at bilateral talks ahead of the main summit. He said his country had a “sacred obligation” to observe Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty, which commits members to defend each other from attack.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, known as NATO, is the world’s most powerful regional defence alliance set up in 1949. The alliance focuses on China as its growing illegitimate supremacy has raised an alarm of threat across the nations.
Diplomats told Reuters news agency that the NATO summit’s final statement – known as a communique – would not call China an adversary. However, it will refer to China as a “systemic” challenge to the security of NATO members, Reuters reported.