The British government on March 16 released the largest post-Cold War review of foreign and defense policy. The 114-page report defines Russia as a “hostile state” and identifies China as a “systemic competitor. While the document acknowledges the risks posed to Britain by a more assertive China on the international stage and describes China as “the greatest national threat to Britain’s economic security,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain would continue to pursue “positive trade and investment relations” with Beijing. trade and investment ties” with Beijing.
The long-awaited document released Tuesday by the Johnson administration is entitled “Global Britain in an Age of Competition: A Comprehensive Assessment of National Security, Defense, Development and Foreign Policy. The 114-page report mentions China 27 times in total. The report defines China as a “systemic competitor” and states that “China’s growing power and international assertiveness are likely to be the most important geopolitical factors in the 2020s. The size and reach of China’s economy, the size of its population, its technological advances and its continued ambition to show influence on the global stage, for example through the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative, will have a profound impact on the world. Open trading economies like the UK will need to engage with China and remain open to Chinese trade and investment, but they must also protect themselves from practices that adversely affect prosperity and security. Cooperation with China is also critical to addressing transnational challenges, particularly addressing climate change and preventing biodiversity loss.”
The report also mentions that “China’s growing international stature is by far the most important geopolitical factor in the world today, with significant implications for British values and interests and for the structure and shape of the international order. The fact that China is an authoritarian state with values different from our own presents a challenge for the UK and its allies. Over the next decade, China will bring a greater contribution to the global economy than any other country in the world. Both China and the UK benefit from bilateral trade and investment, but China also poses the greatest state-based threat to the UK’s economic security.”
The report promises that “as China becomes more powerful in the world, we will do more to adapt to its growing influence on many aspects of our lives. We will invest in increasing our capacity to confront China, through which we will better understand China and its people, while improving our ability to address systemic challenges to our security, prosperity and values, as well as those of our allies and partners. We will continue to build a positive trade and investment relationship with China while ensuring that our national security and values are protected. We will also work with China to address transnational challenges such as climate change.”
In contrast to the Johnson administration’s clear statement on Russia in the same report, the tangled performance it displayed on China drew criticism from most of the British media and a steady stream of questioning voices from within the Conservative Party. According to the Times analysis, the report intends to present a “balanced development blueprint” for relations with China, viewing Beijing as a “systemic competitor” on the one hand, and seeking a “space for cooperation” with the Chinese side that has common interests on the other. On the one hand, it sees Beijing as a “systematic competitor”, while on the other hand, it seeks “room for cooperation” with China. The report mentioned that many senior Conservative MPs immediately criticized Johnson’s attitude toward China during the questioning session of the report. Conservative Julian Lewis, chairman of the British Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, said, “If the UK were to seek more Chinese investment in the UK, it would suggest that the grasping naiveté of the Cameron/Osborne era still lingers in some sectors of the state.” This was a reference to the efforts of the two former British prime ministers and chancellor of the exchequer to foster a “golden age” of Sino-British relations.
For his part, Johnson replied , “Those who are calling for a new cold war with China, or for a complete decoupling of our economy from China, which seems to be the new policy of the opposition, as they generally do, to wear from one position to another; I think it’s wrong.” He said, “We need to strike a balance. We need to have a sober relationship with China.” Johnson also highlighted new laws planned to be adopted that would allow the British government to block corporate takeovers on the grounds of protecting national security. He also said the U.K. would take “tough measures” to point out China’s actions in Xinjiang. “Companies that profit from forced labor will not be allowed to do so in this country,” Johnson added.
The Guardian opinion piece noted that the content of the report lacks a clear understanding of China and the Indo-Pacific region. The article mentions that while the review generally asserts that British values and its interests are well aligned around the world, nowhere is this more untrue than in the case of China. The Financial Times also reported that Johnson was accused of being soft on China by senior Conservative lawmakers at a questioning session on the report that day.
Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the House of Commons defense committee, borrowed an analogy from former Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s characterization of the Soviet Union in his “Iron Curtain speech” and told Johnson that “when we identify the geostrategic threat of China, it is ” and had hoped for a “Fulton, Missouri moment. Jeremy Hunt, the former Conservative foreign secretary, also urged Johnson to continue reviewing Britain’s policy toward China. He said, “In light of the terrible events in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, I am concerned about the simple designation of China as a systemic challenge.”
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