NATO and G7 Defence Ministers’ Underscore Indo Pacific Security
Dr. Vijay Sakhuja
Two recent meetings involving the Defence Ministers of Western and select Asian countries merits attention. First, the NATO Defence Ministers along with those from partner countries (Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea) and the European Union met in Brussels, Belgium. The consultations included the necessity to “boost cyber defences, defence production and innovation; counter disinformation; and harness new technologies, including artificial intelligence” clearly exhibiting the need for “deepening cooperation in the face of shared challenges”. At the strategic level, it was agreed to “deliver on their financial pledge” of Euro 40 billion in security assistance to Ukraine (Euro 20.9 billion has been provided for in the first half of 2024), and boost deterrence and defence.
Secretary General Mark Rutte, the new incumbent, expressed concern that the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine had led to “instability in Europe” with “far reaching consequences across the world”. He also observed that the European security cuts across continents and identified Iran, China and North Korea as “security spoilers”. This necessitated that the Alliance accord high priority to “strengthening deterrence and defence” so that nearly “one billion people of the Member States are safe”.
Second, the Defence Ministers of the Group of Seven or G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America) recently held a meeting in Naples, Italy. It is noteworthy that this was the first such dedicated meeting in Defence Ministers format. They were joined by NATO Secretary General and the agenda included ways to “further increase support to Ukraine, ramp up defence industrial production” as also appraise that the NATO was building partnerships not just in Indo Pacific but also in NATO’s southern neighbourhood.
The ensuing Joint Declaration , among other issues, “reiterated unwavering support for Ukraine”, condemned/expressed concern over Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, Houthis against maritime shipping, and Iran’s direct military attack against Israel. As far as the Indo Pacific is concerned, China’s support to Russia and North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs including growing defence cooperation with Russia have featured in the Declaration.
The South China Sea also finds prominent reference in the statement with Member States conveying “serious concern about the situation in the South and East China Seas”. Furthermore, they expressed “strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion”. The Declaration questions Chinese maritime claims in the South China Sea, militarization of disputed features, freedom of navigation and coercive and intimidating maneuvers by the Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea.
The recent Chinese military drills around Taiwan also came up for discussion – “We are concerned about provocative actions, particularly the recent [Chinese] People's Liberation Army military drills around Taiwan... We call for a peaceful resolution of cross strait issues,” – and the Declaration reaffirmed the necessity of “maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is indispensable to international security and prosperity”.
Similarly, the Declaration emphasised that “There is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and we are strongly opposed to China’s repeated obstruction of freedom of navigation, militarization of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating activities, as well as the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea”.
According to the NHK, Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen informed the grouping about the intrusion by the Chinese and Russian into his country’s airspace and explained the growing collaboration between China, Russia and North Korea. Russia was increasing its collaboration with China and North Korea.
Although the G7 members are concerned about the growing Chinese assertiveness against Taiwan, they appeared careful in their articulations to prevent sharp reactions, particularly from China. It was noted that “there is no change in the basic positions of the G7 members on Taiwan, including stated one China policies. We call for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues”.
A recent Global Times commentary has dismissed the G7 as “club of wealthy nations” and notes that the grouping “need to stop sending erroneous signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ forces, rather than pointing fingers at Beijing”. It is quite obvious that the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomedthe G7 Declaration which “support for maintaining the peaceful status quo across the Taiwan Strait”.
Meanwhile, the US announced sale of US$ 2 billion arms to Taiwan including the “advanced air defense missile system battle-tested in Ukraine” to enhance security resilience and deterrence capabilities of the island state. Notably, this is the 17th arms sale package to Taiwan under US President Joe Biden administration.
Dr. Vijay Sakhuja is Professor and Head, Center of Excellence for Geopolitics and International Studies (CEGIS), REVA University, Bengaluru.
