TAIPEI (TVBS News) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte voiced alarm Monday (June 23) over Taiwan's increasingly precarious position amid China's accelerating military buildup, which he characterized as a significant destabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region. During a wide-ranging press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rutte called for alliance members to substantially boost their defense budgets to counter what he described as an emerging global threat landscape where authoritarian powers are increasingly coordinating their actions.
The NATO chief outlined a concerning strategic scenario in which any Chinese military action against Taiwan could be coordinated with Russia to divide Western attention and resources. "We cannot be naive," Rutte stated, emphasizing that such a scenario would require NATO members to respond simultaneously on multiple fronts. He firmly rejected the notion that any alliance member could avoid increasing their military expenditures given the gravity of these interlinked threats, calling for a cohesive approach to address what he characterized as a rapidly evolving global security environment.
While acknowledging the emerging Asian security challenges, Rutte reaffirmed that Russia still represents NATO's most pressing and immediate security concern as it pursues its war against Ukraine with substantial backing from a coalition of nations including North Korea, Iran, China, and Belarus. The Secretary-General highlighted the alliance's strengthening partnerships with key Indo-Pacific democracies — Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand — which increasingly share NATO's apprehensions about China's military trajectory. To illustrate the scale of China's defense sector growth, Rutte revealed that between three and five Chinese defense manufacturers now rank among the world's top 10 military contractors. ◼
