China says ready to talk to NATO, urges correct outlook

China hopes NATO will adopt the correct outlook toward the country and stands ready to engage in dialogue with the group, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said during a regular briefing on Tuesday.

She was reacting to a NATO report expected to be published today, which according to leaked sections argues that the alliance must think harder about how to handle China and its military rise, though Russia will remain its main adversary during this decade.

The report “NATO 2030”, prepared by a group of so-called ‘wise persons’ and containing 138 proposals, comes amid growing doubts about the purpose and relevance of an alliance branded last year by French President Emmanuel Macron as “brain dead”.

“China is no longer the benign trading partner that the West had hoped for. It is the rising power of our century and NATO must adapt,” said one NATO diplomat who has seen the report, pointing to Chinese activity in the Arctic and Africa and to its heavy investments in European infrastructure.

via Reuters