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World should be 'extremely worried' about Russia-China relationship, EU foreign policy chief warns

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks during the Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, 31 May 2025
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks during the Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, 31 May 2025 Copyright AP Photo
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By Euronews with AP
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EU's foreign policy chief expressed alarm on Saturday over Russia-China ties amid North Korean troops in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned of Beijing's increasing threat, urging higher defence spending.

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The world should be “extremely worried” about Russia and China’s relationship as North Korean troops fight alongside Russian soldiers in Ukraine, the European Union’s foreign policy said on Saturday.

“When China and Russia speak of leading together, the change is not seen in 100 years and of revisions of the global security order. We should all be extremely worried,” Kallas said during the Shangri-La Dialogue, a global security conference in Singapore. 

European and Asian security remain interconnected, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs stated while speaking on a panel about ensuring global stability. 

“Our security is very much interlinked, and what we have to do for not the worst case scenario happening, is that we really need to defend the international law because that says it all,” Kallas explained.

“That is the umbrella that actually protects, especially the smaller states.” 

US warns of growing threat from China

Kallas spoke after US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth warned of increasing military and economic pressure coming from China.  

In his speech at the conference, he reassured allies in the Indo-Pacific they would not be left alone, while insisting they contribute more to their own defence. 

Hegseth said Washington would bolster overseas defences to counter what the US views as an increasing threat from China – particularly in its stance towards Taiwan. 

China does not recognise Taiwan's independence. Chinese President Xi Jinping hasn’t ruled out taking it by force. China regularly sends military aircraft and ships near Taiwan and currently has an aircraft carrier southeast of the island.   

China’s army “is rehearsing for the real deal,” Hegseth said in his keynote speech. “We are not going to sugarcoat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.” 

He urged Indo-Pacific countries to increase their defence spending to levels similar to the 5% of their gross domestic product that European nations which are part of NATO are now pushed to contribute. 

The head of China’s delegation to the conference accused Hegseth of making “groundless accusations”. 

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