September 13, 2019, Strategic Culture Foundation (Russia) https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2019/09/13/china-slaps-britain-you-cant-afford-hostility/
China gave Britain a stern warning
this week that any naval maneuvers conducted with the US near its declared
territories in the South China Sea will be met with a military response.
Beijing rapped London further, telling it to dump its
“colonial attitude” with regard to Hong Kong. However, the ultimate leverage,
was the caustic reminder to Britain that if it wants to trade with China in the
future, then it better mind its manners.
Given the deepening turmoil over
Brexit and the uncertain economic prospects once Britain quits the European
Union, the British government is going to need every trading opportunity
around
the world it can muster. Keeping on good terms with China, the globe’s
second-biggest national economy, will therefore be crucial for Britain’s
post-Brexit survival.
Since taking office in July, Prime
Minister Boris Johnson has been quick to talk up a future golden era of
bilateral trade relations with Beijing. He has expressed an interest in China’s
Belt and Road Initiative for global trade, and he has even dared to ruffle US
President Donald Trump by calling for an end to the tariffs and trade
war with Beijing, thus implying the White House’s hardball policy is
wrongheaded.
But here’s the tricky balancing act
facing Britain. In trying to ingratiate itself with both Washington and Beijing
for future trade deals, London is caught in an awkward contradiction. To do
Washington’s bidding, Britain will be obliged to join forces for fomenting
aggression against China.
China this week preempted that
development by telling Britain in no uncertain terms that it can’t afford to
antagonize Beijing without foregoing future trade and investment. In short,
London has to make a decision: does it want war, or peace and prosperity with
China?
The rebuke from Beijing followed a
visit to London last week by US Secretary of State Mike Esper. During a major
set-piece speech, Esper called on Britain and other European
states to focus on confronting China and Russia, whom he accused of posing as
aggressors.
“It is increasingly clear that
Russia and China want to disrupt the international order by gaining a veto over
other nations’ economic, diplomatic, and security decisions,” Esper said,
seemingly unaware of the absurd hypocrisy of his words.
There have also been suggestions
that Britain’s warships will be joining with US forces in so-called “freedom of
navigation” patrols in the South China Sea. The recently launched super
aircraft carrier, Queen Elizabeth, is designed to be capable of hosting up to
70 US F-35 fighter jets. The temptation for London will be to join Esper’s
rallying call because of the need to pander to Washington for future trade
favors.
China’s ambassador to Britain, Liu
Xiaoming, told media that if Britain embarks on such missions anywhere near
islands claimed as Chinese territory, especially if the British are seen to be
liaising with the Americans, then it will be viewed as “hostile”. The diplomat
said such a development will be met with a military response.
He warned London not do America’s
“dirty work” and rebuffed claims about “freedom of navigation” concerns as a
cynical pretext for provocation.
Ambassador Liu said: “The South
China Sea is a vast ocean, it is three million square kilometers wide. We
have no objection to people sailing around there but do not enter Chinese
territorial waters within twelve nautical miles. If you don’t do that, there
shouldn’t be a problem. The South China Sea is wide enough to have free
navigation of shipping.”
Major General Su Guanghui, the
Chinese defense attaché in London, said that his country will continue to take
a combative stance in what it considers to be incursions into its territories:
“If the US and UK join hands in a challenge or violated the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of China, that would be hostile action.”
Last year, Britain sent a warship
HMS Albion near Chinese-claimed territory in the South China Sea, which led to
a naval confrontation and break down in bilateral relations. That maneuver was
under the watch of former Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson who habitually
used bellicose rhetoric describing China (and Russia) as global threats.
China’s ambassador to Britain
categorically stated that there can be no repeat of this British naval conduct
near Chinese-claimed territory. Don’t even think about it, was the tone.
Nevertheless, the diplomat said that
China wants to develop cooperative relations with Britain to boost trade and
investment. He said that Britain would lose out massively from new telecoms
infrastructure development if a proposed partnership with Chinese telecoms
giant Huawei is jettisoned – under American pressure.
Thus, Britain has a simple choice
really. It can either continue to serve as a henchman for Washington by
offending China’s sovereign rights, or London can wise up and ditch its
pretensions of colonial-era gunboat diplomacy. That means treating Beijing with
the basic respect consistent with international norms.
It seems the days of British
subterfuge and aggression on behalf of Uncle Sam are over. It’s totally
unacceptable for such presumed privilege to wield aggression with impunity. And
it is especially unviable when post-Brexit Britain is shaping up to be
scuttling around the globe with a begging bowl for trade deals.
*Finian Cunningham: Former editor and writer for major news
media organizations. He has written extensively on international affairs, with
articles published in several languages
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