NATO's China challenge

In this week’s episode, Meia Nouwens speaks with Helena Legarda, Senior Analyst at Mercator Institute for China Studies, on NATO’s evolving, and often complex, relationship with China. Meia and Helena trace the history of the relationship, from the early antagonism following the 1998 Belgrade bombing of the Chinese embassy, through several years of tentative cooperation in the early 2000s, to growing hostility in the late 2010s as China’s global ambitions and capabilities expanded.Both Helena and Meia agree that 2019 was a critical turning point in NATO–China relations and explore why NATO, and the EU, may struggle in developing a coordinated and robust policy to confront the multi-faceted strategic challenge presented by a rising China.We hope you enjoy listening to the episode. Don’t forget to follow, rate and subscribe to Sounds Strategic on wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.Date of recording: 17 November 2020Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.Theme music: ‘Safety in Numbers’ by We Were Promised Jetpacks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.