NATO looks east to Asia Pacific 

NATO faced a potential near-death experience during Donald Trump’s US presidency, yet today the seven-decade old body is enjoying its strongest international support in years and is set this week to agree the largest overhaul of its defences since the Cold War.

This is not just because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For there is growing Western concern about China too which is expected to be called a strategic challenger in NATO’s new military strategy, the first for a decade, launched this week.

In this context, it is no coincidence that a unique feature of the forthcoming summit will be the attendance of several Asia-Pacific leaders for the first time at any NATO leadership meeting. Regional politicians who will be at the event include Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinta Ardern.