NATO is wooing Australia and China is not happy about it
www.smh.com.au
The alliance’s increased focus on the Indo-Pacific region is irritating China, whose view of the Russia-Ukraine war aligns more with Moscow’s.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32482470

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China’s economic support for Russia during the war in Ukraine brought the security of the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic closer than ever before, NATO boss Mark Rutte says, warning the two regions must co-operate to address the threat Beijing poses.

[…]

“It’s absolutely clear that we cannot be naive about China,” says Rutte, secretary-general of the North Atlantic alliance, which comprises 30 European states as well as the US and Canada.

“We know that [China] helps and supports the Russians’ warfare through war effort, through sanction circumvention, through delivery of dual-use goods. They are an integral part of the war effort.

[…]

While China maintains its official position of neutrality towards the Ukraine conflict, its actions say otherwise. Ukraine’s capture on Tuesday of two Chinese citizens who, along with four others, were fighting as mercenaries in the country’s east grabbed global headlines, but it is the critical role of Beijing exports in Russia’s arms industry that has kept its war machine ticking.

[…]

Vehicles, machine tools and raw materials such as ball bearings and strategic minerals have become indispensable to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war efforts. Chinese cars and trucks have filled the void left by the sanctions-enforced departure of Western auto makers from Russia.

Official Chinese customs data shows a sharp increase in exports to Russia, with the total value of goods exceeding $US80 billion ($133 billion) last year – double what it was in 2021, the year before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

[…]

Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, as part of the so-called Indo-Pacific 4, have stood steadfast with NATO allies since Russia invaded Ukraine. The nations’ leaders have gathered at every major NATO summit and meeting since.

[…]

  • southsamurai
    0•4 days ago

    Hell, Australia is damn near part of NATO as it is. They’ve been an incredible, reliable ally across the board, even during disagreements. Yeah, part of that is the nature of the government there and its history, but still.

    • @[email protected]
      0•4 days ago

      Australia is more of an appendage of the US than an ally of NATO as such (as evident in the AUKUS submarine deal). Shifting Australia’s alliance from an all-the-way-with-LBJ-era alignment specifically with the US to one with NATO as a whole could be a welcome rebalancing (especially if the US turns out to be less reliable than it has been historically).

      One good thing Australia might get from this would be replacing the AUKUS submarine deal (widely seen as a dud, chosen for ideological reasons by the previous conservative government) with one with suppliers who are better able to deliver the goods on time.

  • @[email protected]
    0•4 days ago

    Hmmm I wonder why? Could it be aggressively sending warships around the country? Interrupting flights by conducting live fire drill between Aus and NZ? The history of belligerence? Guess we will never know.