US expects NATO Strategic Concept to contain 'strong' language on China

According to Sputnik News Agency, the official said, "So just as teams are continuing to work here on the G7 document teams are continuing to make final tweaks on the strategic concept. So those conversations are ongoing."

"I think we're very confident we're gonna get to a good place. And then we're gonna have strong China language in the NATO Strategic Concept, which will be I think, you know, a significant improvement or change from 2010 when China was not mentioned and Russia I think was called a strategic partner or something," the official added.

He further said that during the G7 Summit, scheduled from June 26-27 in Germany, China will be discussed widely.

"They touched on China, which I think is going to continue to be a broad theme for this trip. A year ago, you remember China was mentioned in the G7 leader statement and was also mentioned for the first time in the NATO leader statement. We expect that that's going to be echoed and enhanced in meetings this week, starting at the G7 and then continuing on at NATO including in the strategic concept," the official said.

Separately, after a meeting of US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Scholz, the official told a media briefing that Washington and Berlin have decided that the conflict in Ukraine should be settled diplomatically, Sputnik reported.

"There was a continued commitment by both President [Joe] Biden and [German] Chancellor [Olaf] Sholz to continue providing security assistance to Ukraine... I think both of us have the same broad approach to the diplomatic solution," the official said.

Biden reached Schloss Elmau in southern Germany on June 25 to attend the Group of Seven (G7) Leaders' Summit.

An official statement earlier stated that, during the summit, the US President Biden and other G-7 leaders will hold discussions on the global issues including the G-7's unwavering support for a democratic, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine, economic and democratic resilience, tackling the climate crisis, development infrastructure, global health security, and the food and energy crisis caused by Russia's war of aggression.

The statement added that Biden will travel to Madrid in Spain on June 28 for the 2022 NATO Summit where the allied leader will endorse a new Strategic Concept to guide NATO's transformation over the next decade.

This will focus on strengthening deterrence and defence, building resilience against transnational threats including cyber and climate and deepening partnerships with democratic partners in Europe and Asia in order to strengthen the rules-based international order.

The G7 Summit is scheduled to be held on June 26-28 this year, at Schloss Elmau, a castle resort in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. The G7 comprises Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, the United States and Canada. (ANI)