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NATO should take an active role in Asia-Pacific region, UK's Truss says
Updated 01:03, 29-Apr-2022
CGTN
Europe;UK
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss made her comments during a speech at London's Mansion House. /Hannah McKay/Reuters

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss made her comments during a speech at London's Mansion House. /Hannah McKay/Reuters

Britain's foreign minister has called for NATO to take on a more global role. 

In a speech in London, Liz Truss said the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should not be confined to its traditional areas as the world changed.

Truss said the UK rejects "the false choice between Euro-Atlantic security and Indo-Pacific security," adding: "In the modern world we need both."

Russia cited expansion in NATO's operations as justification for taking military action in Ukraine. And while refusing to take sides in that conflict, China has repeatedly noted that escalating military buildups tend to exacerbate tensions and risks rather than reducing them.

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"We believe that the security of one country should not be achieved at the expense of the security of another. Still less should regional security rely on expanding military blocs," China's embassy in the UK said in a statement last month.

Truss specifically namechecked China in her speech, suggesting that NATO should play a role in determining the future of Taiwan. However, this view has not received broader support from NATO members in the past and some are known to want to retain a European focus to the organization's operations.

China has repeatedly declared that third parties should not involve themselves in its internal affairs. 

European expansion

Speaking to the press today, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg indicated that Finland and Sweden would be able to join quickly should they decide to ask for membership in the Western military alliance. Russia has expressed strong objections to such an expansion on its borders.

"If they decide to apply, Finland and Sweden will be warmly welcomed and I expect the process to go quickly," Stoltenberg said.

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