Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 14 February 2020
While U.S. worries about China, Europe stays focused on Russia

ROBERT BURNS pacity for evading missile
AP National Security Writer defenses. Russia also has
BRUSSELS (AP) — China announced intentions to
and its increasingly sophis- deploy a nuclear-powered
ticated and far-flung mili- cruise missile, known in the
tary sit atop U.S. Defense West as Skyfall, that could
Secretary Mark Esper's list of be nuclear armed and
international security wor- that Moscow says will have
ries, but in Europe a bigger nearly unlimited range.
concern is closer to home: The Trump administration
Russia. remains committed to
The Trump administration Europe's defense, as evi-
has been trying since 2018 denced by U.S. participa-
to reorient its defense strat- tion this month in a NATO-
egy toward China, with led exercise, "Defender Eu-
reduced focus, when pos- rope 20," the largest deploy-
sible, on Russia and the ment of U.S.-based forces
years-long insurgency wars to Europe in 25 years. But in
in the greater Middle East. the 2021 budget presented
Russia remains a U.S. worry, to Congress this week, the
but Esper and other admin- Pentagon proposed cut-
istration officials want the ting spending on its Euro-
allies to see China as Wash- pean Deterrence Initiative,
ington does – as a far more meant to demonstrate U.S.
capable adversary. resolve, to $4.5 billion from
China was not on the for- this year's $6 billion.
mal agenda when Esper The allies also are con-
met with allies at NATO U.S. Secretary for Defense Mark Esper, right, speaks with U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey cerned about the possibility
headquarters Wednesday Hutchison during a meeting of the Resolute Support Mission at NATO headquarters in Brussels, that the Trump administra-
Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
and Thursday, but he made Associated Press tion will not take Moscow
a point of publicly express- up on its offer to extend the
ing American concerns. uum have caused distress race and to do what they NATO hasn't completely ig- New START treaty, which
"I've raised it every time within NATO. Trump's deci- want than the Russians ever nored China. Last Decem- governs the number of
I've been here, about the sion to delay military aid to were," O'Brien said at the ber, for the first time, NATO U.S. and Russian strategic
'great power' competition Ukraine last year was at the Atlantic Council this week. leaders agreed they must nuclear weapons, before
with China and Russia — core of impeachment pro- Secretary of State Mike as a group consider the im- it expires next February. In
but China in particular," he ceedings that ended in the Pompeo delivered his own plications for their security addition, some European
told reporters. president's acquittal. beware-of-China message of China's rise to economic officials have questioned
NATO's emphasis on Rus- The Trump administration, during a recent trip to Eu- and military prominence. the wisdom of an Ameri-
sia over China reflects the meanwhile, sees Europe as rope and Central Asia. He "We recognize that China's can decision to deploy a
alliance's 71-year history. slow to respond to threats denounced China's human growing influence and in- submarine-launched mis-
Throughout that time, it has posed by China. rights record, criticized its ternational policies pres- sile armed with a lower-
been focused mainly on It worries that China's eco- aggressive trade practices ent both opportunities and yield nuclear warhead.
Russia and the former Sovi- nomic engine is driving it and urged his hosts to be challenges that we need Washington argues that it
et Union. And NATO nations to greater international wary of Chinese investment to address together as an counters a Russian strategy
— especially those on Rus- influence, not just on the and influence. alliance," the leaders said for the potential use of bat-
sia's eastern flank — have military front but also in He warned that China's in a statement. tlefield nuclear weapons in
grown warier of Moscow global trade, in space and tech giant Hauwei poses But they have said and Europe.
since its takeover of Crimea in technological advances. a risk as countries develop done little about China Europe and North America
in 2014 and its incursion into Russia, by contrast, is seen next-generation, high- since. Instead, at this aren't NATO's only areas
eastern Ukraine. by the U.S. administration speed wireless networks. week's NATO defense min- of interest. The organiza-
More recently, Russian as a second-rate power, The Trump administration isters meeting, competi- tion has been contributing
President Vladimir Putin has albeit with a huge nuclear has cast Huawei as a de tion with Russia was high troops and other resources
trumpeted his nation's pio- force. facto arm of the Chinese on the agenda, including to the U.S.-led conflicts in
neering development of Trump's national security government that could talks aimed at fashioning Iraq and Afghanistan for
futuristic weaponry, calling adviser, Robert O'Brien, re- enable global espionage a NATO response to Mos- years, and it also has con-
into question the effective- cently touched on this Chi- through its 5G networks. cow's deployment of nucle- ducted combat air opera-
ness of U.S. defenses and na-Russia distinction in de- Huawei has denied these ar-capable cruise missiles tions in Libya.
raising the possibility of a scribing the administration's allegations. within reach of many allied In his review of Wednes-
new arms race. interest in nuclear arms Esper told reporters Thurs- countries. That deployment day's first rounds of dis-
European allies have also control talks that include day that "NATO allies must was the Trump administra- cussions among defense
been uneasy with Presi- China as well as Russia. carefully consider the long- tion's stated rationale for ministers, NATO Secretary-
dent Donald Trump's ap- Trump has said his priority is term risks of the economic withdrawing last year from General Jens Stoltenberg
proach to Russia. Trump's an arms control deal that and commercial choices the Intermediate-range said they had agreed to
warm words for Putin, his would include China for they make." Nuclear Forces treaty. explore what more the al-
resistance to accepting the first time, though China "At the end of the day, Chi- Moscow also says it has be- liance can do to combat
intelligence findings of Rus- has not publicly expressed nese telecom firms have a gun deploying a hyperson- extremists in the Mideast
sian interference in U.S. an interest in such negotia- legal obligation to provide ic glide vehicle, called the and North Africa. They also
elections and his desire to tions. 'technical support and as- Avangard, that poses new discussed the war in Af-
withdraw U.S. troops from "Candidly speaking, the sistance' to the Communist challenges for the U.S. as ghanistan.
areas, like Syria, where Chinese are better pre- Party, and that concerns us well as Europe because of He made no mention of
Moscow could fill the vac- pared to have an arms deeply," he said. the weapon's greater ca- China.q