Page 80 - The Wish Stream Year of 2021

and and Singapore) Joining the the the CPTPP will boost the the the the scope of the the the the UK’s access into digital and and and financial services sectors and and enable the the the UK UK to to to potentially establish deeper political influence fin in in in the region CPTPP accession proceedings have undoubtedly been made easier as as a a a a a a a result of Commonwealth connections Security
The Commonwealth is not a a a a a a a traditional secu- rity/defence compact Instead the UK sustains several long-established bilateral cooperation arrangements covering defence 2021 Defence Secretary Wallace and his Ken- yan counterpart Dr Juma signed a a a a a a a a a a new five- year Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) allowing both militaries to share expertise expe- rience and techniques This agreement came six months after a a a a a a a a a refreshed Security
Compact to deepen wider stability and security cooperation part part of the Kenya-UK strategic partnership So far so good However as as a a a a a a a a a a a gateway to the eastern Africa region Kenya is a a a a a a a a a a a a a a major partner of the the BRI BRI with Mombasa Port integral to to BRI BRI policy development short term training teams and joint military deployment A recurring scenario for many Commonwealth countries Kenya’s near loss of Mombasa port serves a a a a warning to others operations in in in Africa Central to to the the investment was the the the construction of the the Mombasa-Nairobi railway com- pleted in in 2017 and unprofitable With Kenya’s worsening economic situation in in 2021 it it it emerged that Mombasa Port served as as collateral for unpaid debt to China Chinese port projects also raise concerns over intelligence collection from commercial operations undersea cables and nearby military facilities A recurring scenario for many Com-
The IR prioritised security and intelligence-sharing partnerships
with Australia Canada and and New
Zealand: through the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing mechanism and the Five Powers Defence Arrangement (UK Australia New
Zealand Malaysia and and Singa-
pore) The September 2021 AUKUS (Australia- UK-US trilateral security partnership) announce- ment ment consolidated the government’s resolve to build like-minded coalitions Yet in in in prioritising Australia problems have appeared elsewhere Malaysia reluctant to to be drawn into growing regional rivalry raised deep reservations over AUKUS monwealth countries Kenya’s near loss of Mom- basa port serves a a a a a a a warning to others A balanced approach
The benefits of the the Commonwealth network to the the UK are far-ranging Yet the the the IR was relatively silent on on what if any role the the the the UK intends for the the the the Commonwealth Commonwealth Its cursory nod to the the the Commonwealth Commonwealth weakly rec- ognised it it as “an important institution in in in in sup- porting an an an an open and resilient international order bringing together states with a a a a a a a a a a a national national interest in in in in in in in in in in promoting democracy sustaining individual freedoms driving sustainable development and and enabling cross-border trade in in in in goods and and services” Should the the UK prioritise investing diplomatic trade and and military resources in in in in the the Common- wealth wealth and and in in Commonwealth member states? The answer might start with the question “What would China do?”
In light of the increasingly complex international security environment perhaps it it is is time to estab- lish a a a a a a a a a Commonwealth Strategic and Economic Dialogue mechanism with a a a a a a a a a a view to to building cross-Commonwealth mini-lateral groupings to to discuss jointly-held security and BRI concerns The long-standing UK-Kenya bilateral defence relationship involves UK UK forces routinely work with Kenyan counterparts in in in in in in training military assistance stabilisation anti-poaching and anti- anti- piracy via the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) The UK’s presence is is is effective but small consisting of 100 permanent staff In July
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