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Wu Shicun: Britain's "New Deal in the South China Sea" wants to relive the old dream of colonization

author:Globe.com

Source: Global Times

According to the news released by the "South China Sea Strategic Situational Awareness" platform a few days ago, the British "Queen Elizabeth" aircraft carrier was sailing to the South China Sea on the 25th. British Defense Secretary Wallace recently claimed in an interview with the media in Tokyo, Japan, that the British aircraft carrier strike group would sail through the "disputed waters of the South China Sea" and would hold joint military exercises in the Philippine Sea with Australia, France, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the US navy. Wallace also threatened that Britain plans to begin permanently deploying two warships in Asian waters in the second half of this year.

If the British Navy enters the disputed waters of the South China Sea this time, it will be the second time that a British warship has publicly provoked China's rights and claims in the South China Sea after the dock transport ship Son of Poseidon illegally entered the territorial waters of China's Paracel Islands without authorization on August 31, 2018.

People who love peace and look forward to stability in the South China Sea cannot help but ask: At this critical juncture when the situation in the South China Sea is gradually stabilizing, why did Britain, a former empire and a former colonizer, once again come to the South China Sea to show off its might at a critical time when China and ASEAN countries are committed to consultations on the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea", managing differences in the South China Sea, and promoting maritime cooperation under the framework of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea?

The author believes that the British "New Deal in the South China Sea" has been planned for a long time, and this trip is not simply the so-called "crossing the waters of the South China Sea in accordance with international law", but has multiple purposes.

First, it submitted a "letter of surrender" to the United States by crossing the so-called "disputed waters" in the South China Sea. It is no secret that Britain is in cahoots and colludes with the United States on the South China Sea issue. From the "Son of poseidon" dock transport ship in August 2018, which broke into the territorial waters of China's Paracel Islands without permission, to the joint military exercise with the US military in the South China Sea in January 2019, to the submission of a note to the United Nations on south China Sea issues in 2020, to the fifth anniversary of the Sino-Philippine oxbow reef fishing dispute in March this year, the fifth anniversary of the south China Sea arbitration award, and the dispatch of aircraft carriers to the South China Sea, the United Kingdom can be described as "singing with the wife" and "following the trend" to the United States on the South China Sea issue. From a geopolitical point of view, britain that leaves the European Union needs to cling to the thighs of the United States to avoid falling into "diplomatic isolation" and at the same time hitch a ride on the "Indo-Pacific strategy" of the United States to return to the world stage. The South China Sea issue, which the United States regards as an "important grasp" for curbing the development of China's maritime power, naturally became a weight for Britain to submit a "letter of submission" to the United States.

Second, to project sea power into the Asia-Pacific region. In March, britain released what it claims to be the most comprehensive report since the end of the Cold War, "Global Britain in an Age of Competition: A Comprehensive Assessment of Security, Defense, Development, and Foreign Policy," which sets out a diplomatic and military strategic approach that favors the Indo-Pacific region and vows to reshape its influence in the vast Indo-Pacific region, including the South China Sea.

But times have passed, and it is difficult to predict whether Britain, which disappeared from the South China Sea for more than 70 years after World War II, will be able to adapt to today's geopolitical landscape in the Indo-Pacific region. At this moment, the British, who are still shrouded by the epidemic, are mobilizing the masses and rushing to rush the "Queen Elizabeth" aircraft carrier strike group, which has just been repaired and restored to "initial combat capability", and under the escort of AMERICAN and Dutch warships, the intention is simply "the heart of Sima Zhao, known to passers-by".

Third, revisit the old colonial dream while challenging China's rights and claims in the South China Sea. The South China Sea carries the old colonial dreams of britain, which was once a great passage for this self-proclaimed "empire that never sets" to transport the wealth plundered in Asia back to its homeland, and to this day Britain still remembers this "imperial glory".

Spurred by the discoveries of geography and the opening of new shipping routes at the end of the 15th century, Britain and other European neighbors began to divert the scourge of dividing up the colonies around the world to the East. The South China Sea became a sea route for the British East India Company, founded in 1600, to engage in illegal trade in opium and other regions in East Asia and to transport the huge wealth seized to Europe. In the 19th century, with the occupation of Penang, Malacca and Singapore, and the establishment of the Straits Settlements in 1826, Britain was once the "hegemon" of the South China Sea sea route with its strong naval power and colonial network. As people say in the conservative government's "global Britain" strategy, this scene reminds people of britain more than a century ago, which was a "sunrise empire" that ruled the world's oceans and covered a quarter of the world, and today Britain's ambitious vision of maintaining a normalized military presence in the South China Sea and the Asia-Pacific region reveals its nostalgia and reluctance for the glory of the past that has long since passed.

In addition, we cannot rule out the link between Britain's move and its recent aggressive diplomatic offensive on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and other issues, trying to repeat the old trick of "gunboat diplomacy" to force other countries to comply.

Judging from the timing of the British aircraft carrier's arrival in the South China Sea, the information released by the official and the activity courses, its intention to target China is obvious. Since it was directed at us, it was only natural that we would "receive" the British "guests" who came from afar.

The author believes that out of the pursuit of the aura of history, the interest drive to reshape global influence, and the incitement behind the United States, it is not impossible for Britain to make some big moves in the South China Sea that satisfy the United States and make the world look at Britain.

As the true owner of the South China Sea islands and the largest littoral state in the South China Sea, China should respect the freedom of navigation enjoyed by British aircraft carriers in the South China Sea in accordance with international law. But it is estimated that it is to "enjoy the freedom of navigation", which should not be the purpose of the British aircraft carrier. On the contrary, China must make a price for the "crossing of the line" of the British aircraft carrier's entry into the 12-nautical-mile waters of the Nansha Islands and the territorial waters of the Paracel Islands, which is enough to prevent other countries from following in their footsteps and following the example of the British in repeatedly staged such provocative actions. In this regard, Russia's recent use of a warning of force to drive away the British Royal Navy destroyer "Defender" violating the Russian border in the waters near Crimea can be used as a reference.

China also needs to prevent the United States and Britain (even Japan, France, Australia, etc.) from colluding militarily to form a long-standing force in the South China Sea, and should also guard against the possibility of British participation in multinational military exercises in the Philippine Sea against possible drill courses against China. On the other hand, the Uk, which has already reaped huge economic benefits from oil and gas development in the South China Sea, will not easily give up supporting the claimant countries' initiatives to promote unilateral oil and gas activities in disputed areas.

In short, "friends come with good wine, jackals come with shotguns." That's what we have to do, and that's what we have to do. (The writer is President of the China South China Sea Research Institute and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the China-Southeast Asian South China Sea Research Center)

Wu Shicun: Britain's "New Deal in the South China Sea" wants to relive the old dream of colonization

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