UK Updates Security Framework; Takes Aim at China, Russia

Facts

• On Monday, the UK published an update to its foreign policy and security blueprint, the Integrated Review 2023 (IR23), characterizing China as an 'epoch-defining challenge' to the world order and warning the UK's security depends on the outcome of the Ukraine war.¹
• While the IR23 toughened the language describing Beijing and Moscow since the first version in 2021, it stopped short of defining China as a threat. Chinese state media, however, responded with warnings that this type of 'continuous hype' would damage relations between the two nations.¹
• The document also warned of China's deepening partnership with Russia and Moscow's growing cooperation with Iran, saying Russia presents the 'most acute threat' and prioritizing support for Ukraine.²
• The review also mentioned Taiwan for the first time in this year's report, emphasizing Britain's long-standing position on the issue that it “should be settled peacefully by people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait through dialogue, and not through any unilateral attempts to change the status quo.'²
• Amid these alleged evolving threats, UK PM Rishi Sunak announced an extra £3B ($3.6B) for the UK's nuclear weapons and submarine fleet over the next two years and an additional £1.9B ($2.3B) for ammunition stockpiles³
• The revised document also includes funding for a new training program for security officials and language and diplomatic training on China and a new method to safeguard UK access to vital minerals for industries, among others.⁴

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Yahoo news, ³Sky news and ⁴BBC News.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Sky news. The UK government presented a bleak, albeit realistic, outlook of the global security environment, with predictions of further deterioration in international relations in the coming years. With a growth in the number of advanced weapons systems and an increasingly aggressive political space, Western nations are right to take proactive actions, such as this revised policy.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Global times. Many western politicians seem as eager as ever to continue waging their proxy war against Russia and China. “Armchair generals” see the conflict in Ukraine as a zero-sum game, but it's not their troops dying on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak is stepping up military aid for a decisive victory over Russia while at the same time beefing up the UK’s defense budget, provoking another conflict in the Pacific.