Ke Enshi (left), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons of the British Parliament, led a delegation to visit Taiwan at the end of November and had in-depth talks with President Tsai Ing-wen.
(Reuters)
[Compilation of Sun Yuqing/Comprehensive Report] The British government is expected to update the "Integrated Review" (Integrated Review, IR) of foreign and defense policy in February or March next year, and the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons of the British Parliament took the lead in making suggestions on this on the 18th, believing that the original report Defining China as a "systemic competitor" is not clear enough. We support the government to redefine China as a "threat" under specific cooperation measures.
The document "Refreshing our approach? Updating the Integrated Review" (Refreshing our approach? Updating the Integrated Review) released by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons on the 18th pointed out that since the government released the IR in March last year, the Chinese Communist Party has brought Strategic challenges have received more attention, and the independent think tank "British Foreign Policy Research Group" (BFPG) has noticed that some people believe that the government described China as a "system competitor" in the last IR report, and the wording was not strong enough and clear. It is hoped that the government Correct this shortcoming.
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The Foreign Affairs Committee believes that the current British definition of China is roughly the same as that of the United States and European allies. For example, the latest version of the "National Security Strategy" (NSS) of the United States also describes China as "the most important competitor in the world"; and BFPG also It is believed that the sudden change of the way the UK refers to China is unlikely to produce concrete benefits. In the long run, it will instead cause the two sides to interrupt cooperation in important areas, thereby harming the interests of the UK.
However, the Foreign Affairs Committee emphasized that there is a lot of evidence that the Chinese government has brought many threats to the UK, including stealing intellectual property, intimidating British citizens and people living in the UK, and harming British values on the international stage.
Therefore, when the British side defines China, it must also reflect this complex relationship.
The Foreign Affairs Committee believes that if strong rhetoric against China is not matched with actual actions, it will not be able to resolve the doubts of the outside world, but will weaken the credibility of the British government.
The British side must have a firmer stand and clearer language when it comes to China's harm to British security interests.
China poses a major threat to the UK at many different levels. The Foreign Affairs Committee supports the government to change the definition of China from "system competitor" to "threat" under careful consideration and preparation of corresponding policies, rather than just Empty talk.
In addition, the Foreign Affairs Committee also mentioned that Taiwan is one of the core interests of the United Kingdom in the Indo-Pacific region, but the IR report made no mention of Taiwan. It does not "accept" China's "one China policy" and expresses support for Taiwan's position that force should not be used to change the status quo.