New UK defense guidance sharpens criticism of China

LONDON — China will pose an “epoch-defining challenge” to Britain in the future, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says in new guidance for his government’s defense strategy, released March 13.

The integrated defense, security and foreign policy review document sharpen’s the British government’s position on its policy toward China, having previously described Beijing as only presenting a systemic challenge to the UK.

“Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, weaponization of energy and food supplies and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, combined with China’s more aggressive stance in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, are threatening to create a world defined by danger, disorder and division – and an international order more favorable to authoritarianism,” Sunak wrote in a foreword to the review.

Sunak was in San Diego as the review was published for a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The three Western leaders were in the Californian city announcing the latest moves towards building a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy as part of the AUKUS pact to counter growing Chinese military capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.

“China poses an epoch-defining challenge to the type of international order we want to see, both in terms of security and values – and so our approach must evolve,” Sunak said.

“We will work with our partners to engage with Beijing on issues such as climate change,” the document adds. “But where there are attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to coerce or create dependencies, we will work closely with others to push back against them.”

The 2023 review is a refresh, but not a wholesale redirection, of the earlier 2021 policy overhaul issued by the government of the then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The earlier review was immediately followed by a Ministry of Defence review setting out capabilities and equipment priorities for the armed forces.

A similar review, known as a command paper, is scheduled again but not until later this year when new equipment and manpower priorities will be laid out.

One of the key elements of the 2021 document was a tilt in British defense and industrial policy towards the Asia-Pacific region.

The first phase of that has largely been done with AUKUS, the partnership with Japan to build a 6th-generation combat jet and several other relationships across the region already in place.

The review also said the British plan to strengthen ties with neighbors sharing a stake in Asia-Pacific, including France.

The U.K.-French summit earlier this month opted to boost cooperation in the region including by establishing the basis of a permanent European maritime presence in the area through coordinated aircraft carrier deployments.

Andrew Chuter is the United Kingdom correspondent for Defense News.

伦敦——英国首相里希·苏纳克在3月13日发布的政府国防战略新指导文件中表示，中国未来将对英国构成“划时代的挑战”。

这份综合国防、安全和外交政策审查文件强化了英国政府对华政策的立场，此前英国政府曾将北京描述为对英国构成系统性挑战。

苏纳克在评论的前言中写道：“俄罗斯非法入侵乌克兰，将能源和粮食供应武器化，以及不负责任的核言论，再加上中国在南海和台湾海峡更具侵略性的立场，正威胁着创造一个充满危险、混乱和分裂的世界，以及一个更有利于威权主义的国际秩序。”

报告发布时，苏纳克正在圣地亚哥与美国总统乔·拜登和澳大利亚总理安东尼·阿尔巴尼斯会面。

三位西方领导人齐聚加州，宣布了为澳大利亚皇家海军建造核动力潜艇舰队的最新举措，这是澳美协议的一部分，旨在对抗中国在亚太地区日益增长的军事能力。

苏纳克表示：“中国对我们所希望看到的国际秩序构成了划时代的挑战，无论是在安全方面还是在价值观方面——因此，我们的方法必须随之改变。”

文件还补充道：“我们将与合作伙伴共同努力，就气候变化等问题与北京进行对话。但如果中国共产党试图胁迫或制造依赖关系，我们将与各方密切合作，予以抵制。”

2023 年的审查是对 2021 年由时任首相鲍里斯·约翰逊领导的政府发布的政策改革的更新，但并非彻底的改变。

此前的审查之后，国防部立即进行了审查，列出了武装部队的能力和装备优先事项。

类似的审查（称为指挥文件）已安排再次进行，但要等到今年晚些时候，届时将制定新的设备和人力优先事项。

2021 年文件的一个关键要素是英国国防和工业政策向亚太地区倾斜。

第一阶段的工作主要通过 AUKUS 项目完成，该项目是与日本合作建造第六代战斗机，此外，该地区还建立了其他几项合作关系。

该评估报告还指出，英国计划加强与在亚太地区拥有共同利益的邻国（包括法国）的关系。

本月初举行的英法峰会决定加强该地区的合作，包括通过协调部署航空母舰，在该地区建立欧洲永久海上存在的基础。

Andrew Chuter 是《防务新闻》的英国记者。