Chinese military set for EU and Nato talks as Iran war reshapes global security picture

2026.03.18 12:50 The PLA’s last talks with Nato and the EU took place two years ago. Photo: AFP A delegation from China’s People’s Liberation Army will travel to Brussels next week for talks with the European Union and Nato amid heightened concerns over global security caused by the war in Iran. The EU-China Security and Defence Consultations will take place next Tuesday, official sources confirmed, with the talks between Nato and the PLA’s Office for International Military Cooperation scheduled for the same week. On the EU side, the talks will be chaired by Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss, managing director for peace, security and defence in the EU’s External Action Service, its de facto foreign ministry. A Nato official also confirmed that the PLA would meet representatives from its international military staff. “Nato and China maintain regular dialogue, on both civilian and military channels, to build reciprocal transparency with a view to safeguarding the alliance’s security interests,” the official said. While no official agendas were available, previous rounds of these talks have focused on crunch issues and security hotspots. The last EU-PLA talks took place two years ago in the Chinese capital, chaired by Major General Yao Qin, the deputy chief of international military cooperation. An EU statement issued after the meeting focused on Ukraine and said: “China’s positioning on the war continues to affect the EU-China relationship”. It added that they also discussed “regional security issues in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific, including in the South China Sea and Taiwan”. Nato said its round of talks focused on “global and regional security landscapes, with emphasis on Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine; maritime security; and issues of common concern”. The PLA travels to Brussels as Nato faces new questions after US President Donald Trump castigated members of the alliance for refusing to support US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Trump doubled down on his criticis

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