NATO chief: China "learning lessons" from Ukraine invasion

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that China is “watching closely and learning lessons” from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that could influence Beijing’s future decisions as the balance of power shifts in the Indo-Pacific.

“What is happening in Europe today, could happen in East Asia tomorrow,” Stoltenberg said at Keio University in Tokyo on February 1, stressing the need for Japan and like-minded countries to work together with the alliance to uphold and defend the rules-based international order, according to The Japan Times.

If Russian President Vladimir Putin were to win the war, it would send a message that Moscow and Beijing can achieve their goals using brute force, according to the NATO chief.

“This would make the world more dangerous and us more vulnerable,” he said.

Stoltenberg noted that while China is “not NATO’s adversary” the country was becoming a “more and more authoritarian power”, displaying assertive behaviour and implementing coercive policies that have security consequences for both the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific.