Displaying items by tag: security threats

Lithuania’s foreign minister Gabriel Landsbergis has warned that reducing NATO troop numbers in the region could worsen the security situation. Prompted by fears of a Russian invasion sparked by 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, he said the EU needed to be ‘more involved’ and offer solutions to the crisis. He also called on the EU to review its sanctions against Russia and Belarus to close loopholes and make sure they still had teeth. Lithuania was in ‘constant contact’ with the US during its talks with Russia, and the US had offered a high level of transparency over the negotiations, which did not involve the EU. There is speculation that the US could reduce troops in return for a similar drop in Russian military numbers on the Ukraine border. But Mr Landsbergis warned against any moves to reduce NATO troop numbers in the region. ‘There is this sense of rebuilding the Soviet Union 2.0,’ he said, pointing to Russian troops in Georgia, parts of Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

Nato leaders have declared China presents a security risk at their annual summit in Brussels, the first time the traditionally Russia-focused military alliance has asserted it needs to respond to Beijing’s growing power.

The final communique, signed off by leaders of the 30-member alliance at the urging of the new US administration, said China’s “stated ambitions and assertive behaviour present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order”.

The Nato leaders declared their concern about China’s “coercive policies” – an apparent reference to the repression of the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang – the expansion of its nuclear arsenal and its “frequent lack of transparency and use of disinformation”.

The language, notably stronger than the China remarks contained in the G7 statement agreed on Sunday, follows lobbying and pressure by the Biden administration, seeking to create a counterweight of democratic nations in response to Beijing’s growing economic and military might.

American President Biden is seeking to build an international consensus against China and has used the G7 and NATO summits to support this.  China has issued strong rebuttals, saying “The U.S. is ill and very ill indeed” and that “the G-7 had better take its pulse and come up with a prescription.”

Pray: that our leaders will continue to show strength and courage as they stand up for what is right and good. (1 Tim 2:1-4)

Pray: that the language of diplomacy will bring peace and hope and subdue the language of confrontation and threat.

More / Sources: The Guardian, Bloomberg

On 16 May the prime minister’s spokesman was asked whether the new US sanctions against Huawei had persuaded the UK government to reconsider its telecom strategy. The Trump administration hit Huawei with severe sanctions on 15 May. British ministers have agreed to allow Huawei a restricted role in building parts of its 5G network, although the final decision has not yet been published. The spokesman said, ‘As you know, in relation to Huawei, we are reviewing the right policy approach for 5G and when an announcement is ready the culture secretary will update parliament. We are committed to ensuring that UK telecoms networks are fully secure, and any decision will be supported by a hard-headed, technically informed assessment of the risk.’ See also article 6 in the World section.

President Trump has declared a national emergency to protect US computer networks from ‘foreign adversaries’. He has barred US companies from using foreign telecoms believed to pose national security risks. The order does not name any company, but is believed to target Huawei, who said that restricting its business in the US would only hurt American consumers and companies. The move is likely to worsen tensions between the US and China, which escalated this week with tariff hikes in a trade war. Huawei may not need the US market, but it certainly needs the key components that it gets from the US. On 14 May, Huawei’s chairman said that Huawei was ‘willing to sign no-spy agreements with governments’, as concerns over the security of its products used in mobile networks continues to grow. See also article 6 in the UK section.