British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss Photo: AFP

The Malvinas Islands "are part of the British family," and China "must respect" the Malvinas Islands' "sovereignty," UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss tweeted on Monday. Such rhetoric came after China and Argentina on Sunday issued a joint statement in which China reaffirmed its support for Argentina's demand for the full exercise of sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands and its support for an early resumption of negotiations in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions for a peaceful settlement of the dispute.

The UK is enchanted by the dream of becoming a "Global Britain," still seeing itself as a major global power, but that is actually not the case. Some UK political elites are stuck in the mindset of declining aristocrats. The UK has fallen into strategic anxiety, worrying it will lose its current international position and influence because of its increasingly declining capability. Against this backdrop, many British political elites are eager to prove themselves, for example, by arguing that Brexit is the right decision, or by demonstrating they still play a role in global affairs and are capable of defending their interests. 

Ironically, when London urged Beijing to "respect" the "sovereignty" of the Malvinas Islands, it had already repeatedly attempted to interfere in the South China Sea situation. It has meddled with China's internal affairs, like those on Hong Kong, ultimately contradicting itself. This is typical practice for Western countries. Some experts label the move as a double standard but I would like to say they have always exploited one standard. They believe they have the moral high ground, and whatever they do is positive and moral, while moves by other countries, especially rivals like China, are negative and immoral.

The Johnson government proposed the "Global Britain" strategy, hoping that Britain retain a place in the global landscape. The UK's national strength does not fulfill this strategy. This explains why London has repeatedly followed suit behind Washington's, especially when it comes to China policy.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is encountering a trust crisis. The failure to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus epidemic and the "Partygate" scandal caused Johnson's approval ratings to drop significantly. Recently, baseless criticism and slandering of China may aim to divert domestic attention. For example, the UK followed the US' lead in its diplomatic "boycotting" of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Truss' own comments are ludicrous. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age, she said China could possibly launch its own war of aggression in the Indo-Pacific and that it could be inspired to do so if Russia was to invade Ukraine.

Their anxiety comes as they become aware that they cannot contain China's rise. They can only groundlessly slander China, in an attempt to persuade the public to believe they are better than China, so as to maintain support for their government. They are lost in an imaginary world where they can shape China as they like. This is an embodiment of the arrogance of the West toward China. However, facts speak louder than words, and truth about China is not something that Western government can fabricate. 


The author is a professor at the School of International Relations of Beijing Foreign Studies University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn