[ Financial Times ] Senior Nato officer warns of China’s ‘shocking’ military advances

“It is quite shocking how quickly China has built ships, how much China has modernised its air force, how much it has invested in cyber and other forms of information management, not least facial recognition,” said Peach — who is stepping down on Friday after three years as head of Nato’s military committee — in an interview with the Financial Times before his departure. “I think it’s very important to keep an eye on that. What do you do if you’re a leader in China with a modernised powerful large force? You deploy it, you move it around,” he said, adding that there is “further work required” among Nato’s 30 member states in deciding what China’s military ambitions mean for the alliance.

Nato leaders last week warned for the first time that China posed “systemic challenges” to the rules-based international order, perpetrating disinformation, co-operating with Russia and expanding its nuclear arsenal.

But critics say the alliance has yet to develop a detailed China strategy, in part because it is divided internally and lacks tools to deal with concerns such as Chinese involvement in European strategic infrastructure.

Peach pointed to how Beijing had extended its diplomatic reach through outposts such as its “enormous” embassy in Brussels, which is also the main seat of the EU, where Nato is headquartered. “You have these large embassy footprints now with very large defence sections, often populated by general officers. And then you simply observe, as I would observe after nearly 50 years of service, what’s it all for?” he asked. Brussels has become a centre of concern surrounding Chinese espionage activities and influence operations.

Last year, Belgium’s security agency accused Fraser Cameron, a Brussels think-tanker who had previously worked for the European Commission and Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency, of involvement in a suspected Chinese influence-buying operation.  Cameron has denied any wrongdoing and branded the allegations “ludicrous”. Belgium has since declined to comment further on the case and has brought no charges in relation to it. 

China’s mission to the EU said in a statement that military exchanges and co-operation with other countries were an “important part of China’s overall diplomacy” and that Beijing “is actively developing constructive military relations with other countries”.