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NATO chief urges member states to reduce dependence on Chinese imports

"We must end our dependencies on authoritarian regimes," Stoltenberg said at the Day of Industry
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
© AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

BERLIN, June 20. /TASS/. NATO member states should reduce their dependence on Chinese imports and refrain from exporting advanced technologies to China, the alliance’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

"We must end our dependencies on authoritarian regimes," Stoltenberg said at the Day of Industry, organized by the Federation of German Industries. "We must not rely entirely on China for critical raw materials and products. We must not export technology that can be used against us, or lose control of critical infrastructure, like 5G networks," he added.

Stoltenberg specified that NATO "will continue to trade and engage with China." "But at the same time, we must avoid dependencies that make us vulnerable," he noted.

The NATO chief called on the member states and private companies to work together to reduce dependence on China.