‘Global Britain’ to put more attention on China and Indo-Pacific
- Report outlines plan for post-Brexit Britain to be the European nation with the most integrated presence in Indo-Pacific by 2030
- London reveals it is walking a fine line between its economic needs and its security fears, says Beijing academic
Releasing a 120-page report on Tuesday, Britain revealed it was putting deeper strategic focus on Asia and said cooperating with China would be vital to addressing global challenges.
Calling China a systemic challenge, the report said “the significant impact of China’s military modernisation and growing international assertiveness within the Indo-Pacific region and beyond will pose an increasing risk to UK interests”.
“China’s increasing power and international assertiveness is likely to be the most significant geopolitical factor of the 2020s,” said the report, adding that Britain “will do more to adapt to China’s growing impact on many aspects of our lives as it becomes more powerful in the world”.
“We will invest in enhanced China-facing capabilities, through which we will develop a better understanding of China and its people, while improving our ability to respond to the systemic challenge that it poses to our security, prosperity and values – and those of our allies and partners.”
Liang Yunxiang, an international relations expert from Peking University, said the report’s nuanced approach towards China indicated the British government wanted to strike a balance between economic gains and security threats.
