By and , CNN
Jul 11, 2024
NATO officials are discussing taking action to reclaim some Chinese-owned infrastructure projects in Europe should a wider conflict with Russia break out in the east of the continent, three officials involved in the discussions told CNN.
A decade ago, when Europe was still crawling out of the economic crater caused by the global financial crisis, the promise of infrastructure funding from Chinese-owned investment firms seemed like a major windfall.
Now, with the largest land war being waged in Europe since World War II – and the West warning of Beijing’s support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – NATO countries now see those investments as a liability, with allies beginning to discuss ways to reclaim some of those projects, the officials said.
The fear, according to one US official, is that Beijing could use the infrastructure it owns in Europe to provide material assistance to Russia if the conflict were to expand. The goal, officials said, is to figure out a path forward well in advance of any potential conflict.
The discussions reflect an increasing focus on China by the NATO alliance. The joint declaration released Wednesday by the 32 leaders, at the Washington 75th anniversary summit, strongly called out Beijing’s support for Moscow, in a move seen as a sign of progress by members eager to take a tougher stance against Beijing after such a reference was omitted in 2023.
“The deepening strategic partnership between Russia and the PRC and their mutually reinforcing attempts to undercut and reshape the rules-based international order,” the declaration states, “are a cause for profound concern.”
The discussions on taking action on infrastructure, according to three officials involved in them, are still in their early stages and have seen varying levels of involvement among the NATO member countries. One NATO diplomat suggested the US, which is spearheading the discussions, would need to pursue the discussions on a bilateral basis to secure the necessary support.
From rail lines connecting Eastern Europe to China, to ports located in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, China has funded tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure investments under its Belt & Road Initiative, which European nations began signing onto in 2013.
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