[Text/Observer.com Xiong Chaoran] The British Conservative Party leader's election has entered the final sprint stage. Several recent poll data have shown that Foreign Minister Leeds Truss (Liz Truss) is far ahead of former Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Unless an unexpected situation occurs at the last moment, the outside world has realized that it is almost a foregone conclusion that Trass' entry into No. 10 Downing Street.
"Does the whole world hate Tras?" On August 23, local time, the European version of "Politico News Network" (politico.eu) used this question as the title of the article, pointing out that in fact, outside the UK, "few countries are happy to see Tras coming to power."
article points out that diplomatic officials and political leaders around the world have all said that Tras is not a popular person on the global stage. She was deeply questioned in front of most countries in Western Europe and in front of the White House led by Biden ; her relationship with the new Australian government also has problems; she was even more "despised" in the eyes of China and Russia. A little comforting is that she seems to be quite popular in Eastern Europe and “partial Indo-Pacific.”
Tras supporters predict that she is currently on the global stage “the wrong time”, as potential conservative allies in the United States, Germany and Australia have been ousted in the past two years of elections.
"Politician News Network" European version article screenshot
Because of "Brexit", EU does not like her at all
The Northern Ireland Agreement reached in December 2020 is one of the protocols to the UK's "Brexit" agreement. Its core content is that there is no "hard border" between the UK's Northern Ireland region and Ireland , and the EU's free flow of goods and customs alliance rules are still applicable to Northern Ireland .
However, British Foreign Secretary Tras announced on May 17 this year that the British government will promote legislation to amend some provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol. She submitted a bill to the parliament on June 13 to officially announce the specific plan to unilaterally modify some of the contents of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
In response, several Conservative MPs and opposition MPs, including former British Prime Minister Theresa May 2, strongly criticized that the plan to amend the Northern Ireland Protocol is illegal and may trigger a trade war with the EU. In the eyes of the EU and its member states, their hopes of having a "friendly dialogue" with the British Foreign Secretary Tras were shattered and accused the UK of violating international law. On June 15, the European Commission initiated a judicial lawsuit against the British government on the grounds that it did not comply with part of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
In June 2016, the British referendum decided to "Brexit". Image from The Paper Image
"We have a negative impression of her, not because of her intentions, but because of her behavior." A diplomat in the UK from a major EU power said this: "There is always a new opportunity for a new leader to reset the relationship, but we must see whether she (Tras) will take measures to rebuild (EU-UK relations) trust, which is very necessary."
Another EU diplomat official gave a more contemptuous evaluation: "From the EU's perspective, Tras is really very, very bad for us. The signals she has shown since she served as the British Foreign Minister and took over the Brexit negotiations have been very negative."
"Politician News Network" pointed out that given the close connection between Tras and the Northern Ireland Protocol, there are almost no politicians on Dublin . Irish United Party is the most pro-EU party in the country's coalition government. Neale Richmond, the party's European affairs spokesman, said: "We have been messed up by the British Conservative Prime Minister for six years. I don't believe the next one will be better."
The Irish Times described Tras as "a mediocre foreign minister." She first opposed Britain's "Brexit" and then cheered. In addition, two senior diplomats from different southern European countries also expressed concern about Tras' "impulsive performance" in diplomatic affairs and warned that this could further exacerbate tensions.
Even the United States, which is a "hard ally", is...
Tras' support for revising part of the Northern Ireland Protocol has not only aroused dissatisfaction from the EU, but also disappointed the Biden administration and people in the US Congress.
Previously, Democrats, including US President Biden and House Speaker Pelosi , repeatedly stated that they were worried that Britain's "Brexit" policy would undermine Ireland's hard-won peace and clearly opposed the British government's unilateral push for legislation to amend some provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
According to reports, in May this year, Pelosi issued a statement threatening that if the Johnson administration insists on abolishing the Northern Ireland Protocol, the US Congress "can't and won't support" the bilateral free trade agreement with the UK.
British Prime Minister Johnson and British Foreign Secretary Tras
However, Tras counterattacked last week against the US attitude. She said in front of Northern Ireland voters that she would not be influenced by Pelosi. "I have expressed my views on this matter very clearly to people like Pelosi," she said. A member of his campaign insisted that "Tras has a good relationship with the United States."
Some politicians still hold hope that once Tras becomes British Prime Minister, negotiations with the EU may actually be easier. Bernd Lange, a member of the European Parliament and member of the EU-British Contact Group, held this view. He believed that Tras was not the outgoing Johnson, but she was more like a "trader".
However, even if Tras wants to restart relations with the EU, the outside world doubts whether her Conservative colleagues will allow her to do so. "The biggest question is to what extent will she cater to the 'Brexit faction' within the party," said a diplomatic envoy of a Nordic country to the UK.
The new Australian government has not made a clear statement yet
"Politician News Network" said that officials and foreign policy experts in Brussels , Berlin and Paris expressed regret for Tras' unwillingness to establish close ties with major European countries so far, just like her relationship with Australia, the country that is the farthest away from the UK.
reported that since the UK "Brexit", the UK and Australia have strengthened security cooperation through the " Five Eyes Alliance " and the "AUKUS Defense Alliance". Tras also sought Australia to support the UK in joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP). To this end, she regularly gives speeches to Australian think tanks in order to seek global attention.
Previously, while serving as the British Minister of International Trade, Tras hired former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott as an advisor to the British Trade Commission, a practice that was quite controversial at the time. And just last week, Abbott just commented that Tras was Johnson's "competent successor".
On July 27, 2021, former Australian Prime Minister Abbott participated in the "Policy Exchange" activity of think tank organization in London, UK. Video screenshot
But "Politician News" pointed out that Abbott has long lost power in his party, and the real challenge for Tras is how to establish a similar close relationship with the current Australian Prime Minister and leader of the Labor Party.
report also said that, so far, Albanys has not expressed his personal opinion on the leader of the British Conservative Party, Tras, but his colleagues in the party have already spoken out. In January this year, former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating bluntly stated that his remarks were "nervous".
China comments on Trass’s words: The hypocritical face of old imperialism
In terms of attitude towards China, Tras undoubtedly regards himself as "hard". During this campaign, she and her rival Sunak repeatedly staged scenes of accusing each other of "not being tough enough toward China". Tras not only criticized Sunak, but even claimed that Britain should "arm Taiwan" to fight against mainland China.
In addition, the British Foreign Secretary also claimed that after taking office, she would update the "Global Britain" in the competitive era - Overall Assessment of Security, Defense, Development and Foreign Policy" released in March 2021, refocusing on China and Russia, and establishing stronger economic and trade relations with the Commonwealth countries. She claimed that the move was to "fight China's growing harmful influence."
On July 25th local time, former British Chancellor Sunak and British Foreign Secretary Liz Tras, who are competing for the British Prime Minister, participated in a television debate. Photo from The Paper Image
Regarding these crazy remarks of Tras, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin once said that the British side ignored the facts, turned black and white, and made all remarks about China's legitimate and necessary actions to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. China is strongly dissatisfied with this and firmly opposed it, and has made solemn representations to the British side.
Wang Wenbin said that everything has its own causes and consequences. The US is an active provoker and a crisis maker. The DPP authorities in Taiwan "rely rely on the US to seek independence." China safeguards territorial integrity and opposes national separatism, which is reasonable and legal, and is natural. The British side turned a blind eye to the US's provocative and infringement, but blamed China's counterattack against justice. This is a typical double standard, fully exposing the hypocritical face of the British old imperialism. If the British side really cares about peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, they should condemn the United States and "Taiwan independence" forces and prevent them from provoking and playing with fire.
Wang Wenbin said, if the internal and external connections and the division of territory occurs in the UK, will the British side remain calm and restrained and allow the status quo to deteriorate? Everything has right and wrong, justice should be upheld, and axioms should be upheld. If both black and white can be reversed, why do you want to create a "globalized Britain"? Wang Wenbin finally stated that Britain's beautiful horses are in line with the leader and colluded with a small group of countries to fight for the tiger. Its credibility as an independent country has long been bankrupt and collapsed, and its so-called diplomatic ambitions are indebted.
Regarding the words and deeds of some British politicians represented by Tras for some time, Wang Yiwei, professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, even said bluntly in an interview: "British seems to have been colonized by the United States."
Russian: "bloodthirsty" woman
Tras claimed to focus on China and Russia. On the Russian issue, her wording is also very tough and can be called a "hawkish". In response, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Zakharova described him as "bloodthirsty and extremely destructive."
It is worth mentioning that on February 10 this year, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and the visiting British Foreign Minister Tras held talks in Moscow. The two sides discussed bilateral relations and the situation in Ukraine. However, judging from the reaction after the meeting, the talks were not going well.
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov expressed his disappointment after the talks, describing the process of the talks with British Foreign Minister Tras like "a dialogue between a mute and a deaf person" and "a piano playing against a cow." This atmosphere can be seen from a "small episode" like a joke.
It is disclosed that during the talks, Tras mistakenly regarded Russia's Rostov Oblast and Voronezh Oblast as Ukrainian territory. In response, Deborah Brownett, the British ambassador to Russia, who was also present, pointed out to Tras that these two states are indeed Russian territory.
On February 10th local time, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and British Foreign Minister Telas held talks. Image from The Paper Image
In April this year, Russia banned Telas and other British government officials from entering the country. Igor Pshenichnikov, an expert from the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies, said that Telas is a "Russian terror" and that all her views "start entirely from the perception that Russia must be destroyed."
In these places, some people praised her for
"Politician News Network" said that although the list of Telas is not favored by many countries, her firm support for Ukraine has won praise from Ukraine, other countries in Eastern Europe and the Baltic countries. The diplomats there firmly believe that she can continue to pursue Johnson's defense cooperation policy.
A diplomat from the Baltic country said: "She played a leading role in the Russian-Ukraine conflict, and our ideas are very similar. In general, Britain is an outstanding leader in supporting Ukraine, and Tlas has always been a well-known leader in this regard."
A EU diplomat put aside the topics such as "Brexit", and also said admirably that Tlas' ambition to become the prime minister had already emerged a year ago.
reported that in addition to this, Tras' attention to the "Indo-Pacific region" has also won the support of friends there. When she served as Minister of International Trade, she reached the first major trade agreement with Japan after Britain left the EU and became an "independent trading country" despite opposition from opponents. Japan has always been a priority in its cabinet activities.
"Indeed, Tras's primary foreign policy propaganda is to establish what she calls a 'free network', composed of 'free nations', aiming to end the strategic dependence on China and Russia." In response, the "Politician News Network" pointed out this, but believes that her policy is mixed.
David Lawrence, a researcher at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, said some British people were worried that Trass' approach would make the global geopolitical framework too polarized. He said that countries such as Japan and Australia are natural partners of the UK, but countries such as Pakistan , India or Malaysia may not be that welcome to the UK, because the reason is not only related to their trade relations with China in the post-colonial era.
According to a poll released by the British public opinion research agency on August 13, in the final stage of competing for the next British prime minister, the current Foreign Minister Trass's Conservative Party party support leads her opponent, former Chancellor Sunak, by 22 percentage points. Some observers believe that Britain will welcome another female prime minister, and there seems to be no more suspense.
According to the rules of the British Conservative Party’s leadership election, about 160,000 Conservative members will hold a final vote on Trass and Sunak in the future. The result will be announced on September 5 that the current British Prime Minister Johnson will hand over the keys to the Prime Minister’s Office.
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