Regurgitating Washington's line bad for UK

Britain's International Trade Secretary Liz Truss leaves 10 Downing Street after attending a cabinet meeting in London, Britain, on July 25, 2019. [Photo by Alberto Pezzali/Xinhua]

This is an editorial from China Daily.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she will reopen the integrated review of security, defense, development and foreign policy, if she becomes the next prime minister of the country.

But the objectivity of that review is open to question as she vowed at the same time to classify China as a "threat" to national security if she does defeat her rival for the job. In that event, China will be elevated to a similar status as Russia, which the review defines as an "acute threat".

Global Britain in a Competitive Age as the review is titled has a very distorted view of the world. One that harkens back to the days of its Great Game with Russia and its gunboat diplomacy toward China.

What the United Kingdom needs, but is unlikely to conduct, is a comprehensive review of its gains and losses over the past few years from blindly following the United States' policies to contain China and debilitate Russia.

Soaring inflation, an energy shortage, and the damaging aftermath of Brexit have seriously harmed people's livelihoods and social stability in the country.

They are all direct or indirect consequences of the dysfunctional UK government's misjudgment of various situations, which is naively based on the touchstone that the UK's national interests are best served by surrendering its independence to the US.

Neither Truss nor the other leadership candidate Rishi Sunak has offered a vision or policies that might save the country from the vortex of self-destruction into which it has plunged.

People can eat less if food prices rise was the solution offered by the outgoing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson — and they can no doubt do more exercise to keep warm if energy becomes unaffordable.

If Truss does become prime minister and really defines China as a threat, it will leave China no choice but to serve the UK with the meal she ordered.

Since China is the UK's third-largest trade partner, and bilateral trade has surged 66 percent since 2018, damaging the otherwise robust bilateral economic and trade cooperation would only worsen the UK's predicament. It would also squeeze the space for bilateral collaboration in responding to climate change and protecting biodiversity and developing clean energy.

The UK is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and it shoulders tremendous responsibility to safeguard world peace and stability. Whoever becomes the new UK leader should act like an adult and stop talking like a child.

The maladies of the UK will not be cured by Americanized bluster.