Stoltenberg still hawking his outdated wares: China Daily editorial

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is taking full advantage of his visit to Washington this week to assist efforts to push lawmakers in the United States and the European Union to approve respectively a $6 billion additional assistance package and a €50 billion ($54.5 billion) four-year budget to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

The warm response the NATO chief has received from the Joe Biden administration on the issue was expected, because not only has the Ukraine crisis been orchestrated and continuously exploited by the Biden administration, but also Stoltenberg's extension of his fourth term as NATO chief from July last year to October this year was at Washington's insistence.

That he will become the second-longest serving head of the military alliance by then speaks volumes of how much Washington needs a puppet such as him at the head of the organization to help ensure it is always ready to do the US' bidding. With Europe having started to show the desire to stand on its own feet, the US has sought to tighten its grip on the security alliance.

As predicted, instead of providing US lawmakers with any insightful, latest observations from the European front or on how to end the conflict that has proved costly for the whole world, Stoltenberg only acted as a clumsy mouthpiece of the Biden administration.

Speaking at a news conference in Washington on Tuesday, Stoltenberg warned: "It will be a tragedy for Ukrainians if President Putin wins but it will also make the world more dangerous and all of us more insecure ... It will embolden other authoritarian leaders — not only President Putin, but also North Korea, Iran and China to use force."

With many US lawmakers focused on opposing China, Stoltenberg went further in alleging: "Today it's Ukraine; tomorrow it could be Taiwan."

Although the world knows it clearly that the Taiwan question is fundamentally different from the Ukraine crisis, Stoltenberg has never ceased trying to link the two on the international stage. But even the Biden administration is learning to speak with prudence when it comes to China-related issues, not least the Taiwan question, after reaching mutual understanding with Beijing in November on the need to repair bilateral ties and responsibly manage risks.

Notably, Stoltenberg chose to avoid his usual preaching on human rights conditions in Ukraine this time. That largely stems from his awareness that US lawmakers are divided on the Biden administration's moves in the Middle East that have not only enabled the grave humanitarian crisis to unfold in Gaza but also cost US lives lately.

Not surprisingly, Republican lawmakers who are pushing the Biden administration for tougher immigration and border control policies in exchange for approving more money for Ukraine did not lend an ear to his words.

During Stoltenberg's decade-long tenure as its chief, NATO has expanded three times. Although he claimed each time that the expansion would boost Europe's security and make the world a safer place, the opposite has been true. It is to be hoped his successor bears that in mind.