People walk inside of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, which has been decorated with signage in preparation for the NATO Summit, Monday, July 8, 2024. New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Australia are sending leaders or their deputies to the NATO summit in Washington this week as the military alliance shows growing interest beyond Europe and the Western Hemisphere.
On Monday, Beijing responded angrily to unconfirmed reports that NATO and its four Indo-Pacific partners are expected to release a document laying out their relationship and ability to respond jointly to threats from cyberattacks and disinformation. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said discussions would “focus on our collective efforts to support the rules-based system.”
“The fact that the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific alliances are structured around a clear anchor — U.S. military power — makes them more cohesive and gives them a strategic edge as compared to the sort of interlocking partnerships that bind China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea,” Simon wrote in a commentary last week on War On the Rocks, a defense and foreign affairs website.
“In today’s volatile and fragile world, Europe, the U.S. and China should strengthen global and regional cooperation,” Zhu said.