NATO Held First Dedicated Talks On China's Threat To Taiwan, Discussed 'Euro-Atlantic Security'

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, held its first dedicated talk on Taiwan in September amid the rising threat of China invading the island nation.

What Happened: The talks were held by NATO's North Atlantic Council, the main political decision-making body of the alliance, Financial Times reported, citing several people familiar with the matter. 

The alliance has held discussions related to Taiwan in previous meetings, but this session was the first dedicated debate, the report noted. 

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A source told the publication that they did not discuss what NATO's role would be in case of "military action" but rather held talks about its impact on member states.

"We did not talk about what NATO’s role would be in the event of any military action but discussed the variety of impacts that it could have on Euro-Atlantic security and wider implications for the alliance," the source said.

The developments came amid the Biden administration's push to allies, particularly in Europe, to focus more on the threat to Taipei, where Beijing claims sovereignty. There have been rising concerns that Chinese president Xi Jinping may order the use of force against the island after he recently said China was closer than ever to achieving "complete reunification" with Taiwan. 

Another source told the publication that it was important not to overestimate what NATO would do in a conflict.

"The most important implication for NATO of a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait is the likely need for European militaries to backfill US military assets in the north Atlantic in the event that the US has to redeploy some assets to the Indo-Pacific. NATO is unlikely to get involved directly into a Taiwan crisis or war," the source said.

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