Shanahan discusses China, NATO challenges with Portuguese counterpart

WASHINGTON, June 15: US Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan met with his Portuguese counterpart to discuss concerns over China and challenges NATO is facing, Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said in a press release.
“Shanahan met with Portuguese Minister of National Defence Joao Cravinho today at the Pentagon…The leaders discussed a broad range of national security issues, including implications of China’s global rise and a range of threats facing the NATO alliance, to include cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns and terrorism,” Hoffman said on Friday.
Both leaders, Hoffman added, agreed to continue to work together on NATO’s burden sharing and defense modernization priorities.
Cravinho told reporters after the meeting that Portugal had no reason to establish “anything Chinese” on its Azores island chain. He emphasized that there is no issue regarding China and the Azores.
The Chinese are reportedly trying to establish a base in the Atlantic and have sought to do so by gaining a foothold in the Azores islands.
(AGENCIES)

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