Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristerssonwas in the NATO HQ on Monday on a whirlwind tour to see the Swedish flag fly there for the first time. His country broke with 200 years of military nonalignment to join the U.S.-led alliance last week, prompted by the fast-deteriorating security situation facing Europe after Russia invaded Ukraine. After the solemn ceremony in the rain, I sat down with him, planning initially to focus on Russia and Ukraine.
Before long, Kristersson turned to China. […]
Here’s the deal: Kristersson said it would be wise for Europe to show the U.S. that it, too, would get tougher on China — in exchange for Trump supporters helping Europe on the Ukraine front.
In his words: “If we want the U.S. to be committed to Europe, we need to realize that the U.S. has other concerns as well,” said Kristersson, whose country is relatively transatlanticist. “I think European countries need to learn more and understand more about the security situation in the Pacific, to understand what’s happening in China, what kind of threats China poses to other Asian countries.” Yep, threats.
“On China, the more the democracies around the world can unite, and meet, and sometimes cooperate and sometimes also challenge Chinese ways of doing things, the better it is,” Kristersson said. Läs artikel