In search of a singular vision

The NATO Summit held in London in early December to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Atlantic Alliance, ended with the signing by the 29 member states of a joint declaration in which, among other security issues, for the first time, the organization stated the need for a shared response to China's growing military and economic influence.

Focused first on the Soviet Union and then on Russia, NATO now wonders what China's main objective is in the international context. "We have recognized that the growing influence of China as well as its involvement in international politics present both opportunities and challenges that we must face together as an Alliance," the NATO leaders said in their joint statement.

Seventy years after its foundation, the Atlantic Alliance has been reconfirmed as the essential forum for security consultations for North American countries and the basis for a collective defense response. For the first time, China is in the allies' sights as a concrete challenge to the security of member countries. In the final communiqué issued at the end of the summit, the 29 leaders collectively identified two main issues to begin work on: the first concerns the cyber domain and potential threats linked to the implementation of the 5G network; the second is the growing Chinese military capabilities that affect different geographical contexts, from the South China Sea, to Africa, to the Arctic.

Although the United States and Europe have different views on how to approach China, it is widely believed that this summit has directed NATO to consider China as a threat, not only from a purely military point of view, but also concerning cyber security, economic influence and human rights.

But despite the European Commission defining China as a "systemic rival" that requires a response strategy coordinated with the US, China is not viewed as a threat to Europe.

In Europe, almost all countries have faced the US demand they ban the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. In many countries the intelligence agencies have increased the level of alert in the field of cyber security. Italy and France, for instance, are applying updates on network security and Germany also recently said it planned to tighten the rules on non-EU acquisitions of its hi-tech companies, following concerns over acquisitions by Chinese companies. But the response in general has been rather cautious, and to date no European government has banned the use of Huawei technology for the construction of its own 5G network.

With reference to the management of critical infrastructure, including technological ones such as 5G, NATO stated in Point 4 of the declaration, a willingness to face the breadth and scope of new technologies in the field of security and defense, preserving shared values and standards. The need to increase the response to cyber attacks was discussed, strengthening the ability to defend the Atlantic Alliance from hybrid tactics that seek to undermine security, increasing the resilience of the company and recognizing the need to protect the field of communications and technologies, and new generation communication networks from security threats.

Despite the signing by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of an agreement on the 5G policy as part of the Prague Protocols, elsewhere on the continent, European allies have been reluctant to take a harsh position against Huawei to date. China has continued to promote its technology as the most advanced on the market and the cheapest compared to its competitors. Also starting an advertising campaign of great visual impact, during the European Parliament elections, asking for a vote "for 5G". Then, stating it not too much between the lines, Beijing clarified that a potential prohibition against Huawei in Europe would severely undermine Sino-European economic relations, addressing their grievances directly to individual countries through diplomatic statements to the press.

The day after the London summit, NATO was therefore confirmed not only as a major military alliance, but also as an important player in the political arena. Despite the statements by French President Emmanuel Macron calling NATO "brain dead", it is possible to read in the joint communication of the 29 leaders a renewed agreement aimed at responding in a "strong" and "active" way to the current global instability, and the new challenges and opportunities posed by China, trying to identify, assess and respond to them with a single vision.

With Macron's remarks, the president of the US was able to present himself in the new guise of a great "fan" of NATO in opposition to the French president, who he heavily reprimanded before the beginning of the meeting. With this he definitively pushed away the criticisms that came at the beginning of his mandate for certain controversial statements toward the Atlantic Alliance.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg concluded: "The Atlantic Organization is the most successful alliance in history because we have always been able to change, and as long as we continue to change, we will continue to be so."

The author is professor of international relations at Lumsa University in Rome.

The author contributed this article to China Watch exclusively. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Watch.

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