China on Alert as NATO Boosts Defense Spending

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AMSTERDAM—As NATO leaders gathered in the Netherlands this week to unveil a historic pledge to ramp up defense spending, Beijing was watching nervously from the other side of the world.

The Chinese Communist regime issued a flurry of statements, accusing NATO of “stoking confrontation” and questioning the alliance’s intentions.

At this year’s summit, NATO allies agreed to dramatically increase their defense spending targets to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), a significant increase from the 2 percent benchmark set during a summit in Wales in 2014.

During the summit, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sounded the alarm over Beijing’s support for Russia, its accelerating military buildup, and the rising threat of a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) criticized NATO’s push to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP.

“NATO countries already account for 55 percent of the world’s total military spending in 2024. Yet they’re still required to raise defense investment to 5 percent of GDP to build a ‘more lethal NATO,’ a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Guo Jiakun, said during a press briefing on Jun 26.

“What exactly is NATO’s objective behind this?”

The regime appeared to be unsettled by NATO’s growing military resolve and deepening ties with Indo-Pacific nations in recent years, with Guo accusing the alliance of having a “Cold War mentality.”

NATO has in recent years taken a strong stance against the growing threat from China.

During a press conference concluding the NATO summit on June 25, Rutte said the increase in defense spending was driven not only by a request from President Donald Trump, but also by necessity, citing the long-term threat posed by Russia, the rise of new adversaries, and growing concerns over China’s “impressive military build-up.”

“They might want to do some stuff with their military capabilities going forward. And we know the risks we run with Taiwan,” he said.

Rutte suggested that if tensions rise in the Asia-Pacific, Chinese leader Xi Jinping might remind “his junior colleague in the Kremlin” of China’s strong support for Russia and force Moscow to keep the West preoccupied with the war in Ukraine.

In response, Guo accused NATO of “instigating confrontation.” He claimed that some within NATO are looking for excuses to justify increasing military spending and expanding the alliance’s presence into the Asia-Pacific region.

At the Hague summit, NATO members agreed to allocate at least 3.5 percent of their GDP annually to core defense requirements by 2035.

In addition, member countries will spend a further 1.5 percent of their GDP annually to invest in critical infrastructure, cybersecurity, civil preparedness, and innovation, and to boost the defense industrial base.

According to Trump, investing in critical infrastructure also means building secure supply chains to produce critical minerals vital to the defense sector.

“The Ukraine crisis has also highlighted the urgency of rebuilding our defense industrial base, both in the United States and among the allied nations. We cannot afford to be dependent on foreign adversaries for critical minerals,” Trump said during a press conference after the summit.

The Chinese regime has turned that dominance into a strategic weapon against other countries in recent years.

In April, Beijing introduced export restrictions on critical rare earth elements, metals, and magnets in response to Trump’s reciprocal tariffs.

Beijing has tightened export controls on seven rare earth elements—samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium—straining supply chains critical to America’s defense, aerospace, and automotive sectors.

The latest restrictions follow a December 2024 export ban on three key minerals—antimony, gallium, and germanium—imposed in retaliation for President Joe Biden’s technology curbs targeting the Chinese communist regime.

Trump said China has agreed to lift export restrictions on magnets and necessary critical rare earth elements after the bilateral trade talks in London in early June.

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