NATO chief warns China and Russia are preparing for ‘long-term confrontation’

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that Russia and China are preparing their defense industries for “long-term confrontation,” after Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin led a parade of Beijing’s new military hardware.

“We face serious and lasting threats: Russia and China are investing heavily to build up and modernize their militaries,” Rutte said in a speech at the IISS Prague Defence Summit on Thursday. “Their defense industries are producing weapons and heavy military equipment at a remarkable, staggering, rate.”

China unveiled a range of nuclear weapons, including two new gigantic intercontinental ballistic missile designs, during the World War II anniversary parade in Beijing on Wednesday. Xi walked through the crowds with Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un flanking him. It was his first public appearance with both men and a message to the U.S. and Europe about their military might.

Rutte warned that the parade was not merely an attempt to “show off,” but rather “to aggressively exert influence and attempt to reshape the global order and undermine our freedom and security.” He warned that the challenge posed to NATO isn’t limited to Russia, noting that China, Iran and North Korea’s deepening defense industrial cooperation was reaching “unprecedented levels.”

“You only have to look at the pictures from Beijing the last couple of days, and the hand-holding,” Rutte said, in reference to footage of Xi holding Indian leader Narendra Modi’s hand as they huddled with Putin at a security summit days before.

The NATO chief said he’s particularly worried about the rate at which China is building warships, which far exceeds the U.S. and Europe’s ability to build their own.