Path Selection For “Global Britain??

Brexit is a landmark event in British history.Through Brexit,the UK has regained its autonomy,especially in trade.It is no longer bound by EU integration and will emerge on the world stage as a single country.“Global Britain” is a new strategy developed by the UK after Brexit,and also a new positioning of its identity.The strategic direction of “Global Britain” is to enhance the country’s overall strength and influence.The UK sets strategic objectives: On the premise of ensuring national security,we should break away from the identity of EU members and build a “Global Britain” image as a defender of liberal values,a supporter of the liberal economic order,a promoter of broader partnerships and a leader in green,digital,and high-quality development.Economic diplomacy is a very important part of building a stronger and more prosperous Britain.The Indo-Pacific region is the focus of the “Global Britain”strategy,and the “Indo-Pacific tilt” is the foreign policy proposed by Britain to engage in the region and make use of the cooperation opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region to achieve the strategic goal of “Global Britain”.This paper will discuss how the UK achieves the strategy of “global Britain” through its the “Indo-Pacific tilt” economic diplomacy.The UK’s “Indo-Pacific tilt” economic diplomacy is carried out through trade diplomacy,investment diplomacy and aid diplomacy,which all serve the UK’s overall strategic direction and objectives.In order to support and benefit from a free and open economic order,the UK is committed to building generally amicable trade relations with countries in the Indo-Pacific region,extending and upgrading trade agreements with countries that previously had trade agreements,planning to open free trade negotiations with more countries,actively joining regional multilateral organizations,implementing global UK tariffs and aid for trade,and promoting the free flow of goods and services.The UK is also promoting extensive friendly and cooperative relations by aids and active foreign policies.However,at the same time of opening up,the UK emphasizes the national security.The potential economic partners brought by extensive cooperation and aids can be used to improve the elasticity and diversity of the domestic supply chain,ensure the national economic security,and avoid possible national security risks by empowering the government to intervene in economic activities and implementing relief measures.As a defender of the liberal values which are the foundation of the UK,the UK prioritizes high-level cooperation with countries that share those values.It also prioritizes humanitarian assistance and the protection of female’s rights and works with developed country partners to help in these areas.At the same time,the UK is using its comparative advantages in research and finance to reach high-standard rules of cooperation on the green and digital economy with developed countries in the Indo-Pacific region.The UK is also promoting research exchanges,consolidating its capacity,supporting exports of green products,eliminating tariffs on some green products,making climate change and biodiversity the most prioritized in aid and increasing investment in sustainable infrastructure projects in the Indo-Pacific region to promote its identity as a leader in green,digital and high-quality development and to win and expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific region.The above policies and actions taken by the UK are influenced by economic interests,political factors,international background,the special relationship between the UK and the US and the demands of domestic interest groups.To be specific,the strategic value,economic strength and economic potential of the Indo-Pacific region have attracted the UK to take the Indo-Pacific region as a bridge to go global.In particular,the British government is more aware of the important value of the IndoPacific region especially under the background of the economic downturn in the UK.The hope is to use the cooperation with the region to hedge against the adverse impact of Brexit and the pandemic,as well as improve the government’s performance to cope with the anti-Brexit sentiment.It will be easier for the UK to make use of its advantages and experience in economic opening-up,finance,technology,green development,and digital trade to promote cooperation with the Indo-Pacific region,which is also supported by the public.Britain’s historical ties with the Indo-Pacific region,especially its ties with the Commonwealth countries,are also important reasons for the UK to consider shifting its diplomatic focus to this region.However,due to the lobbying of some domestic industries,in order to ensure domestic security and maximize the benefits,Britain has taken certain trade protection measures.The preference to deepen cooperation among countries with the same or similar values is not only for mutual understanding and cooperation at the cognitive level,but also for security considerations driven by deep-rooted liberal values and instinctive trust.Similarly,the UK’s investment bill and government intervention in commercial trade aimed at cooperation projects in sensitive areas are driven by domestic right-wing political parties and relevant interest groups out of national security concerns,as well as the result of alliance strategic coordination and the interference of the US.In terms of the effect and prospect of economic diplomacy,Britain has been recognized and supported by some countries in the Indo-Pacific region.The UK’s“Indo-Pacific tilt” economic diplomacy have enriched the choice of hedging strategies for many countries,satisfied the strategic needs of alliance,provided more economic cooperation opportunities in free trade,environment,climate,and digital economy for the Indo-Pacific countries,and provided channels for developing countries to achieve reform and transformation by acquiring technology,capital,and experience.Therefore,Britain gained support from many countries,which helped expand its influence and presence in the region.However,the lack of investment in the Indo-Pacific region caused by financial problems,as well as domestic problems such as political instability and discontinuity make it difficult for Britain to continue to promote the “Indo-Pacific tilt”.Whether the UK can give full play to its advantages to ensure that it can stand out in the fierce regional competition and gain enough influence,and whether it can properly handle the competition between China and the US to maximize its interests also directly affect the implementation of “Global Britain”.Only by clearing these difficulties can the UK better realize the “global Britain” strategy driven by the “IndoPacific tilt” framework and obtain economic prosperity and global influence.