The British Interests in the South China Sea and the New Face of Anglo-Sino Rivalry

China’s relations with the United Kingdom have been a strained one in recent years as both states have been involved in a media war by lampooning each other. Britain openly criticized China’s new security law in Hong Kong as a draconian move to oppress its people and it was reciprocated by Beijing through harsh diplomatic statements. In the light of such uncertainties, Britain made one more step to accelerate the tension by declaring that its strongest and newest aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth may be deployed to the South China Sea in the coming months. It is by no means an action taken by Britain spontaneously as London is well aware of the potential results emerging from China, nevertheless, it seems that the UK’s ambition of “Global Great Britain” agenda is rooted in aggrandizing its military strength in the sea.

The statement issued by Chinese Defence Military Spokesperson Tan Kefei is a clear indication of Beijing’s stances regarding the West’s presence in the South China Sea.  Kefei states that the West should impede from sending warships to the South China Sea, vowing that China might retaliate. This news may provide a tense beginning for 2021, following the global sufferings of 2020. However, in examining China’s tryst with the South China Sea, it is worth noting that the South China Sea has created so many delimitation issues with the neighbours such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia.  From an international law perspective, the legal framework established by the United Nations Covenant of Law of the Sea in 1982 has not been adequate to provide a neutral and balanced mediation with many legal and territorial disputes persisting.

The recent revival of Britain’s enthusiasm for sending its biggest aircraft carrier to HMS Queen Elizabeth is rooted in Britain’s imperial past. In particular, Britain maintained a rapport with its ex-colonies in East Asia such as Malaysia and Singapore by keeping a naval base in Singapore, and also British army’s jungle warfare unit is still located in Brunei. Both Singapore and Brunei are countries facing the South China Sea, whilst the Five-Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) Pact established by Britain in 1971 consists of UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia indicates Britain’s continued interest in the region following the collapse of British imperial glory. Britain’s nostalgia for Kipling’s romanticised version of “East of Suez” which mirrors the British agenda to keep her eye on affairs beyond the European theatre still prevails, with the newest development of British involvement in the Asian Pacific region. However, it indicates that early Chinese activities in the South China Sea were not viewed by the British as acts that were hostile to their interests during the Cold War.

Yet decades after the end of the Cold War, the emergence of China as a global power has dragged Britain back to its former region of power with new strategic interests. It was in January 2014 that UK then foreign secretary William Haigue expressed the UK’s newly revived interest toward Asia Pacific affairs. This was further reflected in the statement issued by the UK National Strategy for maritime security where the South China Sea was identified as an important maritime region for the security interests of the UK. It stated “The UK Government is concerned by the tensions in the South and East China Seas.” The UK has significant economic and political interests in the Asia Pacific region. It is important that all nations in the region resolve any maritime dispute peacefully and within the rule of law while protecting and promoting freedom of navigation and trade. Following the steeping growth of Chinese military presence in the South China Sea, Britain formally announced in 2019 that it would actively take part in the affairs in the South China Sea to confront China as it flouts international law.

The British ambition of its new global Britannia dream has been further intensified by the report of NATO, which has declared that the “rise of China is the single biggest, most consequential change in NATO’s strategic environment and one that alliance really has to reckon with”.

The UK’s ambition to restore its key role in global politics beyond Europe in the aftermath of Brexit is likely to be an escalating event that pushes Beijing to take defensive acts. The statement made by a Chinese leader in addressing the first military exercises of the People’s Liberation Army of 2021 echoes an implicit warning to the UK aim as Xi Jin Ping mentioned that “army must remain ready to act at any second”.  It is becoming clearer that besides the territorial disputes existing in the South China Sea, the UK’s arrival in the concert would lead to a much serious conflict as both the UK and China have their grudges stemming from their colonial encounters of the past. Nevertheless, unlike the weaker China who was subjugated by the British opium in the 19th century, modern China stands equal or much superior to the military and economic capacities of the UK.