Todd Bishop
US Presidential National Security Assistant Bolton arrived in London, England on August 11 and began a two-day visit to the UK. This is the highest level official of the United States since the British Prime Minister Johnson took office.
John Bolton’s visit was very full: on the 12th, he had lunch with British cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill, and then with Sir Edward, Boris Johnson’s chief strategy adviser (Sir Edward) Lister) meets. Later that day, Bolton met with the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid. On the 13th, Bolton met with officials such as British Minister of International Trade Liz Truss and New Defense Minister Ben Wallace.
According to media reports, Bolton’s visit will urge the new British government to take a tougher stance against Iran and Huawei.
For the UK, the current priority is how to leave the EU. Moreover, in the United States and Iran today, the atmosphere is getting more and more hot, all parties try to avoid standing on the side of the team, the United Kingdom has also had personal experience: Iran seized the British tanker. On the issue of Huawei, many of the United States’ allies are taking a fuzzy route, trying to avoid offending China. The Wencishan government has also adopted a delay.
Today, Bolton forced the Iranian and Huawei issues into the British tour and asked the British to express their views. It is obvious that they have their own selfishness and can even be said to be looting.
The United States saw the passiveness of the Johnson administration. Johnson is the leader of the “Detroit” and has repeatedly stressed that the UK must achieve Brexit on time, even if the price is without agreement. In his speech after the election, he even promised that Britain will leave the European Union before the deadline of October 31.
Britain’s Brexit is imperative, but one of the problems that the UK must face is: What should I do after the Brexit? The United States, which has a “special relationship” with the United Kingdom, must be Johnson’s choice. The United Kingdom will only further bind its relationship with the United States.
From an economic perspective, although the US is still very tough and requires the UK to reconsider the taxation provisions for US technology companies, Johnson is eager to reach a free trade agreement with the United States. After Johnson took office, he talked with Trump several times. Just last week, the two called twice. The White House statement said the two discussed the issue of “trade, 5G and global security.” During the G7 summit in France from August 23rd to 24th, the two will also meet.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and International Trade Minister Zhuo Huisi visited Washington from August 6th to 7th and received interviews with US President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. On the 7th, Lan Yuwen met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Bolton. Zhuo Huisi met with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Pompeo also mentioned that the United States is ready to sign a trade agreement with the United Kingdom immediately after the United Kingdom completely leaves the European Union. “Standing on the doorstep, holding a pen in his hand.”
As the UK’s largest trading partner, the importance of the United States to the UK is not necessary to say. After the Brexit, how to maintain its position as a trading power, the United Kingdom still needs the power of the United States. This kind of dependence has given the United States a bargaining chip that can be priced with the UK. As former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Henry Summers put it: “When your partner has reached despair, it is when you throw the most demanding price.”
From the perspective of military security, the United Kingdom is also facing a situation in which it is prepared or prepared in advance. After the seizure of British tankers in Iran, the United Kingdom sought to establish a European-centric maritime security force, for which France and Germany did not buy it. Later, on August 5th, the United Kingdom announced its participation in the US-led murder mission of the Hormuz Strait. Most of the US ally, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, etc., rejected the US escort proposal. The British stance of the United States actually shows its dependence on the United States.
As for the Huawei issue, Pompeo has repeatedly stated that countries in Europe and other regions need to understand the risks of using Huawei telecommunications equipment and threaten that the United States will not share information with those countries that cooperate with Huawei. This threat also allowed the UK to consider the consequences of a counter-tune with the United States.
The Trump administration has always declared that “the United States has priority” and that other countries do not make the United States cheaper. But the United States will not let go of any opportunity to take advantage of the cheaper countries, even if this “other country” is its own ally. The focus of Bolton’s visit to Japan and South Korea at the end of July is not to mediate the contradictions, but to emphasize that Japan’s participation in the Middle East Escort Alliance and the increase in South Korea’s security costs, and to this day, his pressure on the Johnson City government team is already proof.
