China growing footprint roils Nato reluctance

Bloomberg

On an overcast morning last month, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic arrived at a military airport near Belgrade to pose with six Chinese-made attack drones.
“They have a long range, they can shoot at targets from a distance of nine kilometers and record the terrain, objects of interest to Serbia deep within enemy territory,” Vucic said standing alongside Serbian troops clad in berets and face masks to protect against Covid-19. The purchase of the six pilotless aircraft by the Nato partner makes Serbia the first European country to deploy Chinese combat drones.
It also underscores China’s broadening strategic footprint on Nato’s doorstep, from
cyberattacks and intellectual property theft to strategic investment through its Belt and Road Initiative.
China’s actions are prodding the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to pivot to Asia, a potential sea change that’s roiling an alliance that was created to protect Europe against the Soviet Union and then Russia. China’s growing influence in the Balkans mirrors its push into other areas previously dominated by Russia. The Belt and Road enterprise already has made it a major player in Central Asian politics.
The moves could bolster the case made by the US, which has struggled to persuade allies to join it in confronting an increasingly assertive China. But other Nato members are cool to that prospect, inclined to keep doing business with China — and disinclined to follow the lead of President Donald Trump, who criticises the European allies for not spending enough on defense, unilaterally withdrew from the Paris climate accord and quit the 2015 Iran nuclear deal over loud objections on the continent.
The “America First” approach that has alienated traditional
US friends was underscored by the Pentagon’s announcement last week that it will pull 12,000 troops out of Germany and send more than half of them home from Europe.