Recently, the head of a top UK defense think tank expressed concerns about the increasingly close relationship between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Russia, calling it a “self-defeating” move.
Malcolm Chalmers, Deputy Director-General of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in the UK, pointed out in an interview with English New Tang Dynasty that the new Labour government in the UK is growing more worried about the tight bond between these two major powers. Like other European countries, the UK is paying more attention to the substantial support Russia receives from the CCP.
Chalmers stated, “Over the past few years, the UK and other European countries have become increasingly concerned about the significant support Russia receives from China. Although the CCP has not directly provided large-scale weapons and military equipment, they have supported Russia in almost every other aspect, including providing a market for Russian exports and supplying key components for Russia to manufacture more weapons.”
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an advisor to the President of Ukraine, recently revealed that about 60% of the foreign components found in Russian weapons on the Ukrainian battlefield come from China.
Vlasiuk also mentioned that the CCP not only supports Russia but also acts as a transit point for Western products, allowing Russia to access advanced chips produced by European and American countries, including some components produced in 2023.
Chalmers emphasized that the US, Europe, and the UK share similar trends on issues related to the CCP, despite differing economic interests such as tariff issues. These concerns have intensified due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He said, “In this conflict, the unified stance of the CCP and Russia has made Europeans, including the UK, more suspicious of the CCP and more willing to stand with the US in this regard. Therefore, if the CCP’s goal is to divide the transatlantic alliance between the US and Europe, it is a self-defeating move for the CCP.”
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the CCP has consistently refused to condemn Russia, echoing Russia’s rhetoric on the war, and even abstained from United Nations votes on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
During a visit to Russia, CCP leader Xi Jinping reiterated the two countries’ “comprehensive strategic partnership” with Putin and announced that their cooperation has “no limits”.
Chalmers believes that for the newly installed Labour government in the UK, the most immediate military threat comes from Russia. However, “Russia’s threats to NATO, and the CCP’s non-neutral stance in this conflict, have clearly damaged the CCP’s image.” He added that the new government has been working to demonstrate that China and Russia are not the same kind of force. While they have significant differences in many aspects, their relationship is increasingly concerning.
Chalmers noted that for a significant period after the end of the Cold War, the UK primarily focused on non-state threats like terrorism. However, in the past decade, the potential of state threats has become a focal point of concern for the UK.
Recently, the UK’s Defence Minister, John Healey, warned that the threat from Russia is escalating, not only limited to Ukraine, causing worries for NATO and global security.
Russia has taken more aggressive actions in Europe, including Russian drones violating NATO airspace and President Putin making repeated nuclear threats. The latest intelligence reports from the UK and the US indicate that Russia is engaged in “reckless destructive activities within Europe”.
Chalmers pointed out that the war in Ukraine demonstrates that Russia is not invincible, as it faces resistance from Ukraine, a country with only a quarter of its population, even without direct involvement of NATO forces. He stated, “Through cautious, targeted investments, and close cooperation with allies, the UK is fully capable of effectively defending against Russia without bankrupting itself.”