If China attacks Taiwan, Beijing may ask Moscow to open a second front against NATO states, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in an interview with The New York Times (NYT) published on July 5.
Fears of escalating Chinese military intervention in Taiwan have risen sharply since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The war has served as a possible model of how both Taipei and the international community might respond if Beijing decides to invade.
"There's an increasing realization, and let's not be naive about this: If Xi Jinping would attack Taiwan, he would first make sure that he makes a call to his very junior partner in all of this, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, residing in Moscow, and telling him, 'Hey, I'm going to do this, and I need you to keep them busy in Europe by attacking NATO territory,'" Rutte said.
"That is most likely the way this will progress. And to deter them, we need to do two things. One is that NATO, collectively, being so strong that the Russians will never do this. And second, working together with the Indo-Pacific — something President (Donald) Trump is very much promoting," Rutte added.
Western officials and analysts point to Russia's surging military expenditures amid its ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In 2024, Russia's defense budget reportedly rose 42% in real terms, reaching $462 billion, surpassing the combined spending of all European nations, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
NATO allies have cited Russia's military buildup, sabotage campaigns, and continued aggression against Ukraine as reasons to accelerate defense investments.
Rutte previously warned that Russia could rebuild its military capacity to threaten NATO territory within five years, urging members to act with urgency.
its_real_I_swear on July 9th, 2025 at 14:56 UTC »
Why would Russia commit suicide as a distraction for China?
ParticularDiamond712 on July 9th, 2025 at 13:02 UTC »
If previous Chinabad news at least mixed in a little bit of fact, then this piece contains not a single shred of truth—it's purely the personal fantasy of NATO Secretary-General Rutte (who even calls Trump "daddy").
To still fantasize that Russia would declare war on NATO for China at a mere command shows a complete lack of understanding of the essence of Sino-Russian relations. The China-Russia relationship is not a military alliance, nor is it like NATO—"the U.S. and its vassal clique." Instead, it is a strategic partnership based on mutual coordination and a shared commitment that neither side will join any hostile actions against the other.
In the Russia-Ukraine war, I believe this has been made clear enough—China has not joined the sanctions against Russia, but it also has no interest in intervening in Russia's military operations. The recent surge in reports about China assisting Russia in drone production actually highlights a counterintuitive truth: If China truly intended to support Russia militarily, it could simply export finished combat drones directly—there would be no need to facilitate Russia's domestic production.
EverybodyHits on July 9th, 2025 at 06:23 UTC »
Russia would be hesitant because with two fronts open the west would seek to close one quick, without regard for any attempts at the typical Russian misdirection. Little green men with no patches would be strewn across Latvia.
The war in Ukraine is China's opening I think, and Xi seems a bit frustrated that his military corruption problem is messing with the timing.