NATO Secretary-General Says: China is Russia's lifeline, and preparations must be made for a large-scale conflict!
Recently, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte emphasized in a public setting: Europe is standing at the edge of a potential escalation into a large-scale conflict, and behind this European and Russian crisis, Russia has a key support line - its supply chain from China.
This is not an emotional accusation, but a judgment based on real data and battlefield logic. Since the full-scale outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, the West has imposed the strictest sanctions system on Russia, covering finance, energy, high technology, and other fields.
Theoretically, this should severely weaken Russia's ability to maintain a long-term war. However, the reality is that the Russian army has not collapsed, but instead has continued to launch high-intensity offensives in 2024 and 2025, even achieving tactical advances on certain fronts.
NATO believes that Russia has not failed yet because it has obtained a large amount of key supplies from non-Western sources.
They claim that since 2023, China's exports to Russia have surged, especially dual-use items that can be used for military purposes - including micro-electronic components, drone parts, optical equipment, special steel, machine tools, etc. These products are not directly listed as weapons, but are indispensable in modern warfare.
Over the past few decades, Europe has been accustomed to the peace dividend, with defense spending consistently below 2% of GDP. But now, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, NATO's eastern wing is in a state of high alert. After Finland and Sweden joined NATO, the NATO border adjacent to Russia has nearly doubled. And the deployment of the Russian military in Kaliningrad, Belarus, etc., brings potential conflict frontlines close to core member states such as Germany and Poland.
Evidently, NATO does not want China to get involved in the Russia-Europe conflict, and Rutte's statement is a warning. But will it backfire? If the arrogant Europe does not change its perception, it may bring about a catastrophic disaster for itself.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1851263903615243/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.