What has NATO’s ‘expansion’ vaunted by secretary general brought?
Global Times Editorial | In the context of the ongoing poor European security situation, Stoltenberg's self-boasting is somewhat like "taking the wrong script." | Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg boasted of his achievements during his tenure in his farewell speech on Thursday, claiming that in 10 years, the number of NATO soldiers on its eastern flank increased from zero to tens of thousands, the number of troops on high readiness rose from thousands to half a million, and the number of its allies spending at least 2 percent of GDP on defense increased from three to 23. Montenegro, North Macedonia, Finland and Sweden joined the alliance, deepening their relations with countries in the "Indo-Pacific region." Stoltenberg also summarized five lessons that are key to NATO's continued "success" in the future, urging the US and Europe not to engage in isolationism, declaring that "freedom is more important than free trade" and NATO "must not make the same mistake with China" as they did with Russia.