To counter China, NATO and its Asian partners are moving closer under US leadership

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Australia are sending leaders or their deputies to the NATO summit in Washington this week as the military alliance shows growing interest beyond Europe and the Western Hemisphere. That worries China. Beijing has openly criticized NATO for forging partnerships with countries in the Indo-Pacific region, and it’s expected to watch the gathering closely. NATO is set to deepen relations with its four Indo-Pacific partners, which are not part of the military alliance but are gaining prominence as Russia and China forge closer ties to counter the United States and the two Koreas support opposing sides of Moscow’s war in Ukraine.