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In recent years, the United Kingdom and Japan have successively formulated global strategies.
The global strategic restructuring of the two countries emphasizes their respective protection of values such as "freedom" and "democracy" in a tone of "nostalgia for the present".
Britain and Japan intend to inject fresh blood into their future development through "transformation" that keeps pace with the times.
Although the "sun never sets" empire is long gone, and the Japanese empire is a thing of the past, the two countries still have great ambitions.
So, what exactly is the global strategy of these two island countries?
High-level dialogue between Britain and Japan).
The strategic vision of "Global Britain" is on the horizon
The island nation, which hangs alone in the ocean, seems to have inadvertently cut off contact with the interior.
Therefore, the most important thing for the United Kingdom and Japan is how to "keep connected" with the world in the face of globalization.
More importantly, how to develop oneself through ties and seek the possibility of becoming a strong country has become an unavoidable issue for Britain and Japan.
In fact, the ambitions of the British and the Japanese are the same.
Since the referendum and its resolute withdrawal from the European Union, the pace of restructuring the UK's "global strategy" has not stopped.
In March 2021, less than three months after "comedian" Johnson took office, a comprehensive evaluation of "Global Britain in the Age of Competition" was born.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson).
The British unceremoniously declared their new identity of "independence", announcing to the world the official implementation of the strategic concept of "Global Britain".
The Anglo-Saxons have a desire to reinvent the "empire on which the sun never sets", and they see the "Global Britain" strategy as an opportunity to redefine Britain's international role.
What does the future hold for the UK?It depends on how well this strategy is implemented.
The British were thinking about the distant days of the Renaissance and seemed determined to reintroduce British values and culture to the world.
The "Global Britain" strategy has been planned by the British for a long time.
Theresa May).
As early as Theresa May's time, Johnson, then British Foreign Secretary, published an editorial, proposing the concept of "global Britain" and saying that post-Brexit Britain must move towards a path of "more outward-looking, more active and more active participation in world politics".
On the 22nd of the same month, during a visit to the United Nations, Johnson once again elaborated on Britain's "great power dream":
Leaving the EU and facing the world means that Britain will be braver, more passionate and more determined on the international stage than ever before. ”
This is the first manifesto of the official "Global Strategy" of the United Kingdom.
In 2016, Theresa May delivered a keynote speech at the party congress, saying:
The UK-EU relationship will not be the only issue that Britain needs to consider in the post-Brexit era, but will need to "look beyond Europe and look at the world".
At the conference, Theresa May used the concept of "Global Britain" to elaborate on the opportunities for the UK and its absolute autonomy on these issues.
One of the major anchors of the "Global UK" is the world**).
The Conservatives believe that Britain's greatest interest is still in the "world business".
"Brexit is not only a new opportunity for the UK to reshape its relationship with the EU, but also for the UK to rethink its global position" to better consider how to develop the huge market outside of Europe and seek a more flexible and targeted free trade agreement.
In order to prove that Britain's act of independence is feasible and to show a bright future for "global Britain", Britain has shown up and down in front of it, emphasizing the "good future".
However, the "Global Britain" strategy during this period is still in the "start-up" stage, immature and still needs to be replenished.
The "Global Britain" strategy is on paper
There are two issues for the UK to address post-Brexit:
The first is how the UK is filling the void created by 'Global Britain' and what resources will be invested to support the concept.
The second is to make a public statement in an acceptable manner that gives all stakeholders, both domestic and foreign, a clear understanding of the new ideas for the UK's global strategic restructuring.
Britain wants to regain its former glory).
After sorting out the context of these problems, the United Kingdom** began to build a foreign policy of "global Britain".
* On the policy front, Liam Fox, the former British international secretary, made a public speech.
He expressed Britain's unwavering support for freedom, called on the countries of the Commonwealth to join it, and set out the main principles of the foreign policy of "Global Britain".
In December 2016, Johnson delivered a speech at Chatham House, highlighting the UK's important role in maintaining world order and promoting global development.
Theresa May).
In terms of international responsibility, in January 2017, then-British Prime Minister Theresa May addressed Lancaster Palace, pointing out that the EU's "lion's mouth" of sky-high prices was inhumane, and listed 12 priorities to address.
In particular, she said that the Brexit deal should include provisions to promote the creation of a "global Britain" after Brexit.
If the previous speech was more of a vision, the Lancaster House speech made the vision more operational and practical by presenting new elements of the new relationship with the EU, although many of the ideas remained "wishful thinking" on the part of the UK.
Later that month, Theresa May reassured heads of state and business elites at Davos that European and global affairs are indispensable to the UK's future strategy.
At the Munich Security Conference in February 2018, Theresa May once again added and updated the connotation of the concept of "Global Britain" with the new threats and the new international security situation as the starting point.
Jeremy Hunt).
In terms of foreign strategy, Jeremy Hunt's tenure as Foreign Secretary has repeatedly emphasised the UK's post-Brexit "global role", both in public events at home and on visits to other countries:
At the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore, he reviewed the UK's history of extensive ties with countries around the world, emphasizing the importance of its historical heritage
At the Konrad Adenauer Conference in Germany, he put forward his vision and expressed his hopes for the relations between Britain and Germany in the new era
At the Mayor of London's dinner, he highlighted the three pillars of national revival – the economy, hard power and democratic renaissance.
This series of speeches brought to clarity the political and economic order that Global Britain claims to defend, as do the forces and tools it relies on in its foreign relations.
It was at this time that key elements of the concept and strategy of "Global Britain" were gradually revealed, and were repeatedly mentioned in later speeches and writings.
Japan: A false global strategy of dependence on the United States
Britain is on the move, and Japan is not idle – the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy is Japan's guide for the next decade.
This strategy stems from the unstable situation in the "Indo-Pacific" region.
Japan's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy").
The intensification of the strategic game between China and the United States also heralds the return of strategic competition, which in some cases may trigger a "second Cold War".
Regional tensions continue to brew in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Korean Peninsula, the Taiwan Strait, and various historical disputes.
At the heart of Japan's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy" is the Japan-US alliance.
Since Biden took office, Japan and the United States have paid more attention to the role of their "values" in discussing the "Indo-Pacific Strategy".
Promoting a "free and open Indo-Pacific strategy" is at the core of Kishida's foreign policy.
In his speech as Prime Minister at the 205th Diet, he said:
The foundation of Japan's foreign and security policy is the Japan-US alliance, and we will elevate the Japan-US alliance to a higher level to lay a solid foundation for prosperity and peace in the Indo-Pacific region."
Fumio Kishida) This shows that Kishida should not only further deepen the Japan-US alliance, but also achieve its qualitative change.
In recent years, Japan has accelerated its move toward the U.S. "Indo-Pacific strategy," and at the same time, in order to strengthen its alliance with the U.S., Japan has also drawn "extraterritorial" countries to turn to the Asia-Pacific region, which has had an adverse impact on the situation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Japan has been advocating a so-called "free and open Indo-Pacific" and has provided relevant military equipment to neighboring countries, complicating the situation in the South China Sea.
At the same time, Japan has repeatedly intervened in China's internal affairs, seriously impacting the "bottom red line" of Sino-Japanese relations.
These actions have seriously challenged Sino-Japanese relations, leaving them in a state of depression or even deterioration for a long time.
In contrast, the UK is not a fuel-efficient lamp.
Britain has been playing the role of "America's little brother" for a long time.
Anglo-American relations are inseparable).
Since the end of the Cold War, Britain has always looked up to the United States and has always emphasized the priority of the special relationship between Britain and the United States.
In 2021, the United Kingdom and the United States signed a new Atlantic Charter, which aims to continue to lead the Western world in conjunction with the legacy of the Atlantic Charter signed 80 years ago during World War II.
After Brexit, the UK continues to strengthen its role by signaling in line with the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy.
HMS Queen Elizabeth "aircraft carrier).
In May 2021, the United Kingdom sent the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth on a maritime patrol to defend "freedom of navigation", and then announced that there would be two ** long-term deployments in the Indo-Pacific region.
Against the backdrop of the "strategic game" between China and the United States, Britain has gradually approached the United States in China's diplomatic strategy, willingly becoming a "puppet" of the United States and willingly becoming a tool to contain China.
The British side not only called on Western countries to join hands to adopt a policy of containment of China's high-tech technology, but also did not hesitate to distort the "Sino-British Joint Declaration" in order to intervene in the Hong Kong issue, so as to safeguard the West's status as the "banner of democracy".
In the case of the relatively sluggish attitude of the United Kingdom and Japan, China also urgently needs to prepare for it.
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Sun Haichao. The profound adjustment of the international political pattern is in the ascendant
Wang Yiwei. Why have the UK and China become natural partners in the Belt and Road Initiative?[eb/ol].
Sun Cheng. Research on Japan's National Strategy[M].Beijing: China Social Sciences Press, 2020
Lu Yaodong. Research on Japan's International Strategy and Policy[M].Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press, 2021