NATO Chief Sounds Alarm on World War III Risk as China Eyes Taiwan and Russia Targets NATO
- NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, has warned that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could ignite World War III, with Russia launching a coordinated assault on NATO soil
- The Indo-Pacific and European theatres appeared more interconnected than ever, as Rutte urged increased Western defence spending to counter mounting threats
- With China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran aligning militarily, global leaders face growing pressure to respond to a rapidly evolving security landscape
In a stark warning issued to Western allies, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte claimed that a future invasion of Taiwan by Chinese President Xi Jinping could ignite World War III, dragging Russia into a coordinated two-front offensive against NATO nations.
Rutte emphasised it would be “naive” to believe Xi’s desire to annex Taiwan would remain a bilateral affair between China and the island nation. Instead, he predicted Beijing would enlist Russian President Vladimir Putin to attack NATO territory to split Western attention.
Source: Getty Images
“There’s an increasing realization, and let’s not be naive about this: If Xi Jinping would attack Taiwan, he would first make sure that he makes a call to his very junior partner in all of this, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, residing in Moscow, and telling him, ‘Hey, I’m going to do this, and I need you to keep them busy in Europe by attacking NATO territory,’” Rutte told The New York Times.
This insight comes amid growing fears of an escalating Russo-Pacific alliance capable of challenging global stability.
Russia–China military alliance tied to Ukraine war
Xi and Putin’s strategic bond has strengthened during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Chinese leader previously stated their partnership has “no limits,” a sentiment echoed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a recent EU meeting.
According to sources quoted by the South China Morning Post, Wang allegedly described Russia’s assault on Ukraine as a “blessing,” allowing global attention to drift from China’s looming plans for Taiwan. American and Taiwanese officials have separately suggested 2027 could be a potential date for the invasion.
NATO urged to increase defence spending
Rutte warned the world has already witnessed the scale of cooperation between China, Russia, and their affiliates—pointing to the deployment of 12,000 North Korean troops and Russia’s use of Iranian drones. European leaders have also accused Chinese firms of backing Moscow’s military industry.
“So here, the Indo-Pacific and your Atlantic are getting more and more interconnected,” Rutte explained, pressing NATO members to go beyond the current two percent defence spending benchmark.
“We know that China has its eye on Taiwan. Given this whole geopolitical setup, there is no way we can defend ourselves if we stick to this old 2 percent.”
He called for robust Western unity to dissuade Russia from further European aggression and to curtail China’s increasingly provocative military exercises around Taiwan.
Medvedev dismisses NATO chief’s warning as hallucination
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ridiculed Rutte’s prediction on social platform X, mocking his suggestion as fantasy and issuing a chilling quip:
“SG Rutte has clearly gorged on too many of the magic mushrooms beloved by the Dutch,” Medvedev wrote.
“He sees collusion between China & Russia over Taiwan, and then a Russian attack on Europe. But he’s right about one thing: he should learn Russian. It might come in handy in a Siberian camp.”
Source: AFP
US cities that war could affect
Legit.ng earlier reported that as tensions escalate in the Middle East following US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, global concern over a potential world war has intensified.
With China and Russia—two nuclear-armed allies of Iran—holding some of the largest arsenals in existence, the implications for the US are grave.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
