NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Tuesday that Western countries must not sacrifice security for economic gain, referring to debates over the use of Chinese technology in 5G networks and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline for Russian gas.
‘We must recognise that our economic decisions have an impact on our security. The protection of our values is more important than profit, and freedom is more important than free trade ‘Stoltenberg told business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
‘I’m not arguing against trade with China, but control over 5G networks, for example, is critical for security,’ he said.
‘We cannot say that in the name of profits and free trade, we simply open up those networks for suppliers who are not reliable in terms of our security, Stoltenberg added.
He spoke of a lesson learned while discussing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is designed to double the flow of Russian gas through the Baltic Sea directly to Germany.
Berlin halted the project after Russia formally recognised two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine as independent, just days before Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine for a ‘special military operation.’
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