CANZUK International
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Latest News
  • Donate
  • Store
July 7, 2021

“As China Rises, Britain and Australia Need Closer Security Ties”

“As China Rises, Britain and Australia Need Closer Security Ties”
July 7, 2021
Tom Tugendhat MP

Tom Tugendhat MP

Tom is a Member of Parliament and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the United Kingdom

Writing for Foreign Policy Magazine, UK Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat MP, discusses how Australia and the United Kingdom can work together in promoting trade, democracy and international security.
After Australia was hit with harsh Chinese trade tariffs on wine, one country stepped up: In Britain, we took one—or rather several—for the team, and imports of South Australia’s finest surged 30 percent. Britain is now the No. 1 destination for Australian wine.

That’s great for the wine drinkers among us, but a few extra glasses of shiraz won’t be enough for Britain to defend its interests and stand up for its values.

With three geopolitical trends coming together, we need to plan a new future for British and Australian cooperation, as I’ve set out in a new paper for the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies.

The first trend is China’s increasing militarization of the Indo-Pacific. Beijing’s territorial and jurisdictional disputes are wide-ranging, engaging countries from Japan to the Philippines. China’s behavior in the region has become increasingly coercive. It has picked fights, silenced critics of its human rights abuses, and expanded island-building across the South China Sea. A free and open Indo-Pacific is at risk.

The second trend looks far less bleak. Under President Joe Biden, the return of the United States to the international stage has been coupled with a renewed focus on bringing allies together. This is remarkably positive and should encourage Britain to recognize that we have strong democratic allies that are keen to be active defenders of our common values and security.

The third element of the changed global dynamic is COVID-19. The disruption unleashed by the pandemic has stress-tested our economies and created space to rethink and reassess. National security vulnerabilities in supply chains—from medical equipment to semiconductors—have exposed the principle of just-in-time production to be based as much on hope as on a contract, with hidden costs if the supplier is unreliable or subject to intervention by a hostile state. We now know that our openness to foreign investment has been another weakness that our strategic competitors have exploited.

Faced with a rising China intent on hegemony, Britain and Australia need to transform their cooperation and bring other partners with them.

This is an excerpt from “Foreign Policy”. To read the full article, click here.
>

Share this:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Email

See also:

British Passport CANZUK

Australia Expands Working Holiday Visas For UK Citizens

United Nations CANZUK

The Case For CANZUK At The United Nations Security Council

Enduring Crown Commonwealth CANZUK

The Enduring Crown Commonwealth Book Available Now

 

Get Involved

 

Latest News

Australia Expands Working Holiday Visas For UK CitizensMay 26, 2023
The Case For CANZUK At The United Nations Security CouncilMay 16, 2023
The Enduring Crown Commonwealth Book Available NowMay 15, 2023
 

Latest News

Australia Expands Working Holiday Visas For UK CitizensMay 26, 2023
The Case For CANZUK At The United Nations Security CouncilMay 16, 2023
The Enduring Crown Commonwealth Book Available NowMay 15, 2023

Information

Research & Publications

About Us

Careers

Legal

Privacy Policy

Fundraising Policy

 

CANZUK™ is a registered trademark of CANZUK International

Get in touch

General enquiries:
admin@canzukinternational.com

Media requests:
media@canzukinternational.com
Copyright © CANZUK International 2023 | All rights reserved
Looking For CANZUK News, Events & More?

Get updates delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign Up