NATO is building a huge wall between the EU and Russia, writes Yeni Şafak. Meanwhile, American hawks are taking the same steps with regard to containing China in Asia, which, according to the author of the article, provokes a new cold war.
Abdullah Muradoglu
The final statement of the NATO summit in Vilnius drew attention to the fact that China's ambitious policy and its growing military power pose a threat to the interests, security and values of the alliance. And the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Wang Wenbin, called on NATO to abandon the outdated Cold War mentality and the concept of a "zero-sum game". Wang Wenbin also stressed that the North Atlantic Alliance should retreat from a position that could lead to dangerous consequences in the Asia-Pacific region, and added: "Do not look for excuses to continue expanding, play a constructive role in ensuring peace and stability throughout the world."
One of the most important reasons for Beijing's discomfort was the participation in the NATO summit in Vilnius of the leaders of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region – Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Washington, on the one hand, is trying to develop a dialogue with Beijing, on the other hand, is pursuing a tough policy towards China. The Biden administration is being pushed to such a dual approach by the fact that anti-Chinese hawks make up the majority in both parties of the US Congress.
They claim that all attempts of the Biden administration's dialogue with China, including "diplomacy", expose the United States as weak. There is a pervasive atmosphere of distrust between Washington and Beijing. The Chinese accuse the Americans of saying one thing and doing another.
After US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Special Representative of the US President on Climate Issues John Kerry also visited Beijing. While Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Blinken, Janet Yellen and John Kerry did not receive permission to meet with the Chinese leader. However, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who visited China at the same time as Kerry, was warmly welcomed in Beijing. Kissinger is a key figure who facilitated the meeting of US President Richard Nixon with the leader of the Communist Party of China Mao Zedong in 1972. This unexpected meeting, which took place at the height of the Cold War, changed the course of relations between the United States and China.
In Beijing, Kissinger held talks with Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu and senior diplomat Wang Yi, and was also received by President Xi Jinping. Kissinger, a 100-year-old experienced diplomat who advocates constructive dialogue and cooperation between the United States and China, is facing persecution from anti-Chinese hawks. Beijing considers Kissinger a friend of China.
Returning to the Vilnius summit, Beijing complains that Washington is trying to unite its allies against China. The Chinese often emphasize that they also want to use NATO as an instrument of this US policy.
On the other hand, anti-Chinese hawks in America argue that NATO should expand not only in Europe, but also in the Asia-Pacific region. So, members of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth and Republican Senator Dan Sullivan took part in the program "Meet The Press" on July 16 this year, which was hosted by Chuck Todd on NBC News. They advocated the expansion of NATO towards China's neighbors. Senator Tammy Duckworth, who is also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is known as an influential politician who played a significant role in bills related to the arming of Taiwan by the United States.
Both senators who participated in the "Meet the Press" program believe that NATO's expansion towards Asia in the next ten years is inevitable. Senator Duckworth noted: "Obviously, thanks to the successful AUKUS agreement between the UK, Australia and the US, we have already started doing this." According to her, the Asian allies of the United States are closely following the events in Ukraine and are aware of the even greater need to join NATO and return NATO allies to the Indo-Pacific region.
There are no non-NATO countries left on Russia's western borders, with the exception of Belarus and Ukraine. Apparently, the North Atlantic Alliance is creating a wall between Europe and Russia, reminiscent of the Iron Curtain of the old Cold War. Meanwhile, anti-Chinese hawks in the United States are calling for a similar containment of China in the Asia-Pacific region, in the east and south. Looking at the intentions of the hawks, one can better understand the scale of the new cold war.
Author: Abdullah Muradoglu
