China warns UK against following Cold War playbook

China warned the UK not to follow the Cold War playbook, as it will lead it nowhere, after Britain's top foreign and defence officials talked with their Australian counterparts, hoping to advance AUKUS and convene an ideological clique to counter China and Russia. The move not only shows Prime Minister Boris Johnson administration's move to shift focus from domestic affairs by stirring up problems externally, but it also shows UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss' ambition to amplify her political presence as a potential candidate to replace Johnson if he steps down or is ousted, according to Chinese experts. Today's world is a far cry from what was once 50 or 40 years ago. A spokesman from the Chinese Embassy in the UK said on Sunday that it was responding to the latest comment made by Truss at the Lowy Institute of Australia. Truss is on an official visit to Australia. According to a transcript released by the British government, Truss mentioned China several times during her speech at Lowy, blaming China groundlessly for exerting economic coercion against other countries such as Lithuania and working more closely with Russia. Truss called for the UK and Australia to work together to defend economic security and freedom. The accusations against China in this speech confuses right and wrong and raises questions about their real intentions. The Chinese embassy spokeswoman said they were full of disinformation about China and the current international situation. The comments discrediting other sovereign countries, regardless of facts, are parroting US rhetoric and drawing lines on ideological grounds. The move to create small circles is an attempt to justify the move to create small circles, which has had a negative impact on regional peace and stability, according to the spokesperson. The UK is probably doing this to show its value to the US. Johnson is in a very shaky position because there are voices in and outside his party calling for his resignation, so Johnson is eager to show that he is making a difference in British diplomacy, Zhou Fangyin, a professor at the Guangdong Research Institute for International Strategies, told the Global Times on Sunday. The Coordination of the US, the UK and Australia was strengthened due to the AUKUS alliance, said Zhou. The US key method is to engage its allies to form anti-China alliances through the 2 2 dialogues, according to the expert. The day after Australia and the UK joined hands to advance AUKUS, US President Joe Biden held a virtual meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and agreed to support cooperation on economic and security issues including China's growing power, North Korea's alleged missile launches and Russia's perceived aims in Ukraine. Cui Hongjian, Director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday that AUKUS has given the UK more confidence, as one of its biggest gains from the pact is that it can enter the Asia-Pacific region in the way of the so-called tripartite security alliance, and it wants to develop its own Indo-Pacific strategy. The Cold War playbook includes the US's attempt to create a picture of China-West opposition, as well as using the so-called ideology and values to form military alliances to confront China on both military and diplomatic fronts, Cui said. Both countries need to shift conflicts outward, because the Johnson administration is facing pressure, and Australia has a federal election in 2022, so it's a concern that both countries have a common need to do so, Cui noted. Truss is likely to succeed Johnson if the latter steps down, and Truss' anti-China remarks are also arousing resonance in stirring up anti-China sentiments in Australia. AUKUS' impact will be limited in the military sense, according to Zhou, of the Guangdong Research Institute for International Strategies, with China's strength enhancing strength to secure security around the Indo-Pacific. The military alliance is intended to decouple from China economically, especially in high technology, and discredit China's image in the international community, the expert said.