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The EU is getting serious about banning products from forced labor: In her State of the Union speech, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen complies with demands from the European Parliament and announces a ban on imports. A new chip law is also intended to make the bloc less dependent on Asia. Von der Leyen also presented the new name for the planned European counterpart to the Chinese Silk Road.
By Amelie Richter
NATO has discovered China. For the first time, the People's Republic appears in the final summit declaration. In it, Beijing is called on to show more transparency about its weapons arsenal and to live up to its responsibilities at sea, in cyberspace and in outer space. NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg expresses satisfaction at having brought the 30 states onto a common line vis-à-vis China. But behind the scenes, there are different opinions.
By Amelie Richter
The North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) is an alliance of states currently consisting of 30 member states. In addition to numerous European states, the USA and Canada belong to it from the American continent. China is not a member of the alliance. The relationship between NATO and China is therefore on shaky ground. This is because NATO officially regards the People's Republic as a threat due to China's growing influence and international policy. At the 2019 NATO summit, the alliance had still expressed restraint in this regard. This in no way means that NATO considers China an enemy. Nevertheless, the alliance is increasingly concerned about the following points:
China is spending a lot of money on armaments and military;
China's partnership with Russia;
Expansion of telecommunications infrastructure (5G);
Expansion of infrastructure as part of the New Silk Road Initiative;
Influence and leverage through cheap loans and indebtedness of target countries in the "global south."
In the future, therefore, China is to be included in NATO's strategic concept. In the current version of 2010, the People's Republic is not mentioned. Nevertheless, cooperation with China is to be strengthened, especially on issues such as climate change and arms control. From disinformation campaigns to transparency demands and bans to cooperation and coordination - current China-Nato news from Table.Redaktion!