Cui Tiankai, former Chinese ambassador to the US, speaks at a forum titled “US Relations with Allies in the Trump 2.0 Era” under World Peace Forum Winter Series 2026 hosted by Tsinghua University on January 11, 2026. Photo: Chen Qingqing/GT

Cui Tiankai, former Chinese ambassador to the US, warned at a forum in Beijing on Sunday that if NATO truly extends its reach into Asia, it would mark the beginning of its decline.

Precisely because alliance relationships no longer conform to the realities of today's world or the direction of history, their continued existence is bound to generate deep divisions within the alliances themselves, Cui emphasized at a forum titled "US Relations with Allies in the Trump 2.0 Era" under World Peace Forum Winter Series 2026 hosted by Tsinghua University. 

He noted that NATO's approach has long been out of step with current global development trends and fails to meet the aspirations of countries around the world—especially those of the Global South. It may not even align with the long-term, genuine interests of NATO's own member states, yet it has somehow persisted to this day.

When discussing US alliances, Cui stressed that America's allies in Asia—particularly Japan—should not be overlooked. He pointed out that after the victory of the Anti-Fascist war, the US largely dominated the postwar settlement with Japan, but failed to carry out a thorough reckoning with Japanese militarism. Many elements were tacitly accepted or even protected, which he said "can be described as leaving endless future troubles."

Cui also expressed strong puzzlement over NATO countries' involvement in Asian affairs. He asked pointedly, "What are some NATO countries doing by sending warships to the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straits? Do they really have that many warships to withstand the attack?"

Since the end of WWII, this alliance system has never won a war in Asia: it failed in the Korean War, failed in Vietnam, and spent 20 years in Afghanistan only to withdraw in haste in the end, Cui said, noting that if NATO truly extends its reach into Asia, it would mark the beginning of its decline.