A version of this story appeared in the daily Threat Status newsletter from The Washington Times. Click here to receive Threat Status delivered directly to your inbox each weekday.
The United States and its NATO allies need to step up efforts to counter threats posed by China and should reject Beijing’s efforts to broker a peace deal in Ukraine over concerns Beijing will seek greater control there, according to a report by a leading Senate Republican voice on foreign affairs.
Idaho Sen. James Risch, the ranking GOP member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned in a new report coinciding with a NATO summit in Washington this week that his earlier recommendations for the allies to address the dangers posed by China were largely ignored by the Biden administration.
“While the executive branch was hindered by its own indecision and lack of concrete action, China has made significant progress in undermining prosperity, security and good governance in every region of the globe,” Mr. Risch stated in a letter to senators in the 41-page report.
The report, a follow-up to a 2020 study on China and NATO, argues that the alliance needs to develop greater expertise and understanding of Chinese strategy and actions. It also states that Beijing is using low-level, government-controlled diplomacy at the state and local level to undermine American security.
“If we are to prevail against China, these are two areas in which the United States must take significant action,” Mr. Risch said. “It is imperative both sides of the Atlantic recommit to working closely together to confront China’s behavior.”
SEE ALSO: Speaker Johnson preparing legislative package to combat ‘China-led axis’
NATO leaders from the 32-member alliance this week are expected to criticize China in the final communique for its support of Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing NATO diplomats.
Outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in April that Moscow purchased 90% of the microelectronics being used in its missiles, tanks and aircraft from Beijing. China also is helping Moscow improve satellite imaging, he said.
“China says it wants good relations with the West. At the same time, Beijing continues to fuel the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II. They cannot have it both ways,” Mr. Stoltenberg said.
The Risch report said NATO first recognized the growing security challenges from China in a 2022 “strategic concept,” a guiding document for the alliance. Reemerging threats from Russia since the invasion of Ukraine should remain a major focus of NATO, but China’s activities demand greater alliance attention as well, the report said.
Among the issues identified in the report are China’s overt and covert backing for Russia in Ukraine; China’s rapidly growing nuclear forces; Beijing’s increasingly harsh anti-NATO propaganda; stepped-up Chinese activities in the Arctic; and continued cyberattacks. NATO member states must also develop concrete military plans to address future Chinese interference in Europe.
For example, while a direct Chinese combat role in a war between NATO and Russia is unlikely, China could threaten key European infrastructure through its control over Chinese-owned ports and logistical networks. Such control “could play a decisive role in the outcome of a conflict in Europe,” the report said.
SEE ALSO: White House says Biden doesn’t need to prove anything to foreign leaders
NATO has failed to prevent Chinese purchases of key ports. Currently, Chinese state-own companies control more than 10% of shipping container facilities at European ports. Chinese companies also have assets in 14 of 29 ports located close to naval bases or bases that provide logistics support to NATO forces. The investments increase the risk of Chinese espionage, the report said.
In Poland, the port of Gdynia is used as a special forces base and naval shipbuilding site and is adjacent to the China-owned Gdynia Container Terminal. In August 2023, a U.S. military shipment was blocked from unloading equipment at Gdynia after the cargo vessel’s bow extended some 150 feet into the Chinese port’s area.
The Gdynia Container Terminal refused to give permission for the shipment to be unloaded, forcing the ship to be turned back, the report said.
Redeploying
NATO also needs to better prepare for the United States to remove some U.S. military forces from Europe in response to Chinese military action in East Asia, the report said.
The report also warns that China could “win the peace” after the Ukraine conflict ends by moving in to provide aid and assistance in rebuilding the country. Ukraine is seeking NATO membership and could become an alliance member after the conflict.
NATO and the United States must unite in preventing Chinese involvement in any diplomacy related to Ukraine or its post-war reconstruction, the report said.
The report also urges the alliance to reject China’s 2023 peace proposal for the Ukraine conflict and says some NATO members, like France, have naively been encouraging a Chinese role in peace talks. France last year opposed a NATO plan to post a civilian representative in Tokyo over concerns it was too far from the North Atlantic.
Those who think China will restrain Russia and favor giving China a part in peace negotiations are making a major error, according to a congressional aide familiar with the report.
“That’s a huge issue that the transatlantic alliance needs to come together on or we could face a lot of problems in the future,” the aide said.
The Senate report, in its recommendations, urges NATO to set up a group of China experts with greater knowledge of the Chinese Communist Party and its strategic culture. More knowledge needed by NATO on the People’s Liberation Army as well.
Ukraine, which had close defense and military ties with China in the past, should be told by NATO that post-war Chinese investments could make future NATO membership difficult to approve, the report said.
NATO also needs greater understanding and action to counter what the Senate report calls China’s “sub-national diplomacy” that undermines free societies. China is using “sister city” programs, friendship organizations and people-to-people exchanges that are controlled by the Chinese Communist Party for its strategic goals, the report said.
“These can then be leveraged for political gain,” the report said. “Without proper guardrails, sub-national engagements with China also expose our open democratic societies to serious intelligence and hybrid threats.”
China’s government is directly engaging with politicians, officials, and constituencies at the state and local level to promote its policies and influence U.S. policies in support of Beijing’s objectives, the report said.
The United States and its NATO partners need to step up anti-Chinese influence activities and hold talks with other institutions like the European Union and other regional and international groups to better understand Chinese influence operations.
A key recommendation in the report is for NATO to demand reciprocity in China for Beijing’s sub-national diplomacy, something the Chinese government has refused to allow. Such reciprocity could be used to “demonstrate the merits of U.S. and European systems that value civil liberties and human rights,” the report said.
NATO also needs to increase efforts to counter Beijing’s anti-NATO disinformation campaigns that are undermining support for the alliance in the global south region.
China’s propaganda efforts have “become hard to ignore and [are] being amplified by those looking to blame the United States and its allies for all of the world’s ills,” the report said.
A second congressional aide familiar with the report said legislation mandating some of the report’s recommendations could be introduced in the future.
• Bill Gertz can be reached at bgertz@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.