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Business/Finance See other Business/Finance Articles Title: Sale of Chinese missile system to Turkey divides NATO Want... Turkey has been under immense pressure from its NATO allies since its intention to buy a Chinese missile defense system was made public, but this has done nothing to deter Turkey from the deal, reports Duowei News, a media outlet run by overseas Chinese. This is the first time that Chinese and US military interests have clashed in relation to NATO, according to a Feb. 20 report on the website of Russia's state-owned international broadcaster Sputnik International. Turkey is diverging from the NATO line in its dealings with China and Beijing may take this opportunity to sow discord among NATO members, according to a Russian military analyst. On Thursday, Turkey's minister of defense Ismet Yilmaz announced the results of the bidding to the public. He added that the system "will be integrated into the internal defense system in Turkey and will not be integrated with NATO." Yilmaz announced that China has successfully bid for Turkey's anti-aircraft missile system contract, outbidding both US defense contractors Raytheon and Lockheed Martin and Europe's Eurosam. Ankara will make the final decision at the end of April and it may cancel the deal with China under pressure from the US. This happened previously in 2013, when Ankara planned to buy 12 missile systems from China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corporation (CPMIEC). Despite increasing pressure from the US over the past year, Turkey has stuck to the results of the bidding process for the time being. The deal is tempting for Turkey, not just due to the favorable terms but also because they want to play the China card as a strategic maneuver to increase their clout in NATO, said Pavel Zolotarev, deputy director of Russian think tank Institute for US and Canadian Studies. Zolotarev said, "The decision is naturally all about a clash of interests. Major players have taken part in the bidding. The US has built its own anti-missile systems in the region, with their main partner Israel. Chinese defense systems have made progress over recent years and this has been applied to its anti-missile technology. China has granted Ankara favorable terms in exchange for dependence. As a NATO member, Turkey's autonomy in defense policymaking has its limits; however, if the country's deal with China goes ahead, it will no doubt increase Turkey's bargaining power with the US in NATO." Beijing is aware of the concerns the deal entails for the US in creating anti-missile systems for the region and the deal is likely keen to deepen the cracks in NATO, said Vladimir Evseev, director of the Moscow-based Center for Social and Political Studies Evseev said, "This is a worrying sign for NATO. Of course, this isn't the first time this has happened. For example, Russia offered to provide weapons for Greece, another NATO member. This shakes US control over NATO and these problems will only become more numerous in the future. At the moment issues have not come to a head, given the extreme dependence of both Turkey and Greece on US weapons. However, infighting among NATO members will gradually undermine the entire organization. The continuing existence of NATO is based on consensus, if this consensus is eroded, making decisions will become more complicated." The US$4 billion China stands to gain from the sale of the anti-missile systems to Ankara, is just a part of Beijing's strategy. Geopolitical strategy entails rising above a focus on material business gains, as this deal has the potential to reduce the status of the US in NATO, which is a major tool in asserting its influence worldwide. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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