Nato must face up to China's rise, chief says | The Daily Update

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Nato must face up to China's rise, chief says

The head of Nato has urged members to respond to China's rise ahead of a key summit designed to shore up US support for the western alliance. Nato leaders are expected to issue a statement branding China a security risk after they meet in Belgium on Monday.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the summit was a "pivotal moment" for the alliance. It is US President Joe Biden's first Nato meeting since taking office.

Nato is a powerful political and military alliance between 30 European and North American countries. It was established after World War Two in response to the expansion of the Soviet Union. President Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the Nato talks would focus on collective security, including standing up to China and its rapid military rise.

"We're not entering a new Cold War and China is not our adversary, not our enemy," Mr Stoltenberg told reporters at Nato headquarters ahead of the summit. "But we need to address together, as the alliance, the challenges that the rise of China poses to our security."

Climate change, cyber-security, Russia, withdrawal of Nato forces from Afghanistan and the alliance's longest overseas deployment will also be on the agenda.

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