NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that China is not the alliance's "adversary" but slammed Beijing for "challenging the rules-based international order" by refusing to condemn Russia's war in Ukraine, "threatening Taiwan" and pursuing a "substantial military buildup."
Stoltenberg stated that allies agreed at the summit in Vilnius to continue working together to protect against "China's coercive behavior."
The NATO chief also stressed that the allies agreed the "most comprehensive" defense spending plan "since the end of the Cold War" in order to counter its main threats, which they identified as Russia and terrorism. All allies committed to setting aside 2% of their annual GDP for defense spending.
