Explained: Why 'coercive' China poses a threat for NATO allies

After Monday's summit meeting of alliance partners, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg explained why China's international policies present challenges.

"China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal with more warheads and a large number of sophisticated delivery systems. It is opaque in implementing its military modernisation. It is cooperating militarily with Russia, including exercises in the Euro-Atlantic area. We also remain concerned about China's use of disinformation," he said, responding to media queries.

"China will so be the biggest economy in the world; they already have the second biggest defence budget and the biggest navy. China is investing heavily in new modern capabilities including investing in disruptive technologies and putting them into various weapons systems that are really in the process of changing the nature of modern warfare in a way we have hardly seen before," he added.