As NATO chief, Rutte wants to strengthen ties with Asia

If outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte becomes the new Secretary General of NATO, he wants to commit to strengthening ties with Asia. The outgoing Prime Minister said this during a conversation with students at Beijing University.

IB 27-03-24, 06:07 Last update: 06:09 Source: ANP
According to Rutte, the relationship with Asia is important to "keep the world stable". He has so far said little about his possible future role as leader of the Atlantic alliance.

He is one of two candidates to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO chief. The other candidate is Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. NATO's 32 countries must unanimously choose a successor.

Rutte said in the 'lecture tour' that China's close relationship with Russia is “puzzling” to him. He reiterated that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a direct threat to Europe. He will raise the issue later this day in a conversation with Chinese party leader Xi Jinping.