NATO is to step up cooperation with the alliance’s partners in the Indo-Pacific region, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced in a press conference on Wednesday. The alliance plans to expand cooperation with Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea on cybersecurity, maritime travel, climate change and technology development, Stoltenberg said. “China’s growing assertiveness and its coercive policies have consequences for the security of allies and our partners,” the top NATO official said as a basis for the decision.