In a major foreign policy re-orientation, the UK plans to integrate itself more with the Indo-Pacific region and develop better “China-facing capabilities” as it finds the communist country a “challenge”.
The UK published its 114-page Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy—"Global Britain in a Competitive Age". The comprehensive document took one year in framing and sets out British priorities till 2030.
China in the Crosshairs
The BBC reports that the British government plans to do more on the "systemic challenge" of China as it looks at the Indo-Pacific as the world's growth engine.
The review says: "the U.K. will deepen our engagement in the Indo-Pacific, establishing a greater and more persistent presence than any other European country," in the decade ahead.
Understanding China and developing a counter to the Asian giant is what the review underlines.
It says: "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."
UK Looks for New Friends
Significantly, the British foreign policy review comes close on the heels of the first Quad leaders’ summit held last week between US President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Though the summit did not mention China explicitly, the four nations do plan to keep Chinese ambitions under restraint.
The British policy review mentions, “allies and partners”. With distancing happening between the UK and the European Union, the UK’s new friends will be the Quad countries as well as the countries of South-East Asia—a fairly powerful trade block. Towards this end, Britain has invited both India and Australia to the Group of Seven (G7) summit in June—enabling a common platform to the four Quad leaders. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also plans to visit India in April to enhance political and economic relations.
More Nukes to be Put out
Significantly, the UK is planning to reverse its previous policy to reduce nuclear weapons. The British Government announced on Wednesday that it will now increase its nuclear warheads to 260 and also shift its focus to the Indo-Pacific.
The review says: "In 2010 the Government stated an intent to reduce our overall nuclear warhead stockpile ceiling from not more than 225 to not more than 180 by the mid-2020s. However, in recognition of the evolving security environment, including the developing range of technological and doctrinal threats, this is no longer possible, and the UK will move to an overall nuclear weapon stockpile of no more than 260 warheads."
Interestingly, the review also says that the UK will remain committed to the long-term goal of a world without nuclear weapons. "We continue to work for the preservation and strengthening of effective arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation measures, taking into account the prevailing security environment… We will continue to keep our nuclear posture under constant review…"
Britain says that it plans to enhance its nuclear stockpile in view of the "evolving security environment".
Britain follows in American footsteps
It would be worthwhile to mention that on March 3 this year, the US too had released its vision document, the Interim National Security Guidance paper, which said that China is becoming "increasingly assertive". Called Biden's national security strategy, it said the US would enhance military presence in the Indo-Pacific and would build stronger alliances in Europe with like-minded countries.
Adding that the US would deepen ties with India, the document said that Beijing is "the only competitor potentially capable of combining its economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to mount a sustained challenge to a stable and open international system".
Europe was first to Frame its China Policy
The UK's overhaul of its policy, and the American one before that, is not surprising. Many nations in West Europe too have altered their foreign policies in line with the growth of China and the conspicuous threats it has posed to international polity.
Germany had released its new Policy Guidelines for the Indo-Pacific region in September 2020. The new Germany policy stresses on strengthening relations with Asian countries other than China. In an unusual request, Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi had invited his German counterpart, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to conduct naval drills with the Japanese Maritime Defence forces.
On similar lines, France and the Netherlands had revised their foreign policies in 2020 owing to massive changes in the Indo-Pacific region. In mid-February, French nuclear submarine 'Emeraude' had undertaken passage with naval support ship 'Seine' in the SCS. France is also collaborating with India in a big way by designing submarines as well as providing India with the Rafale – its top-of-the-line fighter aircraft.
In Conclusion
China’s war-mongering attitude towards its neighbours like India, Taiwan, Japan and separately its claims on most of the South China Sea (SCS) has raised alarm bells across large parts of the world.
Nations are looking afresh at China and adjusting their foreign policies to not only compete with it but also to restrain the communist giant. Like the UK now, many countries have brushed up their foreign policy with a view to better understanding and dealing with China.
