Reference News Network, August 22 report. According to the "Nikkei" on August 20, NATO decided in June to raise its defense budget target from 2% of GDP to 5% by 2035. This significantly enhances the appeal of the European arms market, and there have been moves by foreign countries to strengthen their own arms industries by enhancing diplomatic and security strategic coordination with NATO countries.

The South Korean Agency for Defense Development announced on July 2 that it has signed an additional contract to export K2 tanks to Poland, an Eastern European country. Among NATO member states, Poland's defense spending as a percentage of GDP is 4.1%, ranking first. According to South Korean media, the signing of this contract is the second since 2022, with South Korea exporting 180 K2 tanks worth 9 trillion won (about 6.4 billion U.S. dollars).

This all began three years ago. In June 2022, former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Madrid, Spain. Duda listened carefully to the introduction of South Korean weapons and expressed a willingness to purchase them.

Afterward, Poland decided to purchase a large number of 1,000 tanks produced in South Korea. In 2023, Yoon Suk-yeol led a group of corporate executives to visit Poland, and in 2024, he invited Duda as a state guest to visit South Korea. This additional contract has shown both domestically and internationally that even after the Lee Jae-myung government took office, bilateral relations between South Korea and Poland remain stable and developing.

From South Korea's perspective, arms exports to Europe are directly related to its foreign and security strategies.

In the Ukraine war, a large number of drones have been deployed in combat. Seeing this, European countries have regarded countering drone threats as an urgent issue.

Croatia, a European country, decided in 2024 to introduce the Turkish "Bayraktar TB2" drone. The aircraft has a wingspan of 12 meters and is equipped with intelligence collection equipment and attack weapons. Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar has launched a joint development plan for drones with Italian defense giant Leonardo.

Previously, Turkish drones were mainly introduced by countries in the Middle East such as Qatar and Azerbaijan. Turkey is using drone exports as a way to draw closer to Europe.

Japan also positions Europe as a new partner in the defense industry. Its core project is the development of next-generation fighter jets. Japan is actively pushing forward the "Global Combat Air Program" developed jointly with the UK and Italy. Although Japan initially favored cooperation with American defense companies to develop a fighter jet to be deployed in 2035, it shifted to joint development with Europe due to unresolved conditions.

In response to Russia and other countries enhancing their military capabilities, Japan must promote Eurasian defense cooperation spanning East and West. Joint development with European companies has gone beyond the dimension of maintaining the defense industry.

From Europe's perspective, Japan, which faces common security issues, is undoubtedly an appropriate partner. Mikael Jonsson, CEO of Swedish defense giant Saab, said, "We fully support Japanese investment in semiconductor production." He hopes to diversify risks through cooperation with Japan." (Translated by Liu Jieqiu)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7541311650281767466/

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