The world could be on the brink of World War III if Chinese President Xi Jinping decides to invade Taiwan and his ally, Russian President, Vladimir Putin then attacks NATO countries in Europe to prevent them from interfering in the conflict in the Asia-Pacific region, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told The New York Times, the latter reports.

It would be naive to think that Xi Jinping’s ambitions to seize Taiwan will be limited to just two countries. If Xi attacks Taiwan, he will first call his junior counterpart, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, in Moscow, and say, “I will do this, and you should distract Europe by attacking NATO territory,” Rutte said.

Rutte recalled that Xi and Putin have repeatedly emphasized their boundless partnership amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. According to the NATO chief, there are signs that China cannot allow Russia to lose this conflict, since Beijing's own strategy on the Taiwan issue also depends on it.

Rutte noted that the world is already seeing how the Russia-Asia-Pacific connection works in the example of Ukraine. Moscow has received Iranian drones, as well as support from North Korea, which, according to Western intelligence agencies, has sent more than 12,000 soldiers to help Russia. The EU also accuses Chinese companies of supporting Russia's military industry.

The Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific region are becoming increasingly interconnected, and China is closely watching Taiwan. And in such geopolitical conditions, one cannot continue with the old approaches to defense spending, Rutte stressed, reminding allies of the need to increase military budgets, overcoming the outdated threshold of 2% of GDP.

Also, the NATO Secretary General called on Western countries not only to strengthen deterrence in Europe to prevent the expansion of “aggression” from Russia, but also to act as a united front to curb China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.