Abstract: Throughout the history of the world, science, technology and economic development have promoted the progress of human society, while wars and major crises have changed the international political process.Major security crisis is the booster and accelerator of the development of human society. The latest example is the COVID-19. Therefore, 2020 has become a special year in the post-Cold War era. We need to grasp the historical trend, as well as the opportunities and challenges. At present, the fourth technological and industrial change is accelerating. Economic globalization continues to deepen in many aspects. The process of multipolarization continues, while global challenges and universal security problems rise. Meanwhile, global governance is still facing difficulties. In 2021, the world will enter a period of repair and transformation during the pandemic.
Abstract: From the European perspective, global great changes include the predicament that the so-called Western universal value system faces and the near end of the Western hegemony, the irreversible marginalization of Europe, and non-Western countries’ economic and social developmental success. Under the circumstances of major changes, Europe has not developed a clear strategy to respond; however, obvious trends have taken shape in its domestic and foreign policies. First, the defensiveness has increased, and “protection” has become the main tone of its domestic and foreign policies. Second, it is trying to take the third way, showing European independence and global influence, and trying to be a player instead of a playground. Third, it will pursue strategic contraction while strengthen its foundation and ensure the safety of its border. Europe is one of the major powers with global influence, whose changes in the strategic approaches will inevitably have big impacts,both on the development of its own and on the interaction of major powers. China-EU relations will also be more complex.
Keywords: great changes, European strategy, China-EU relations
Abstract: The UK government led by Boris Johnson regards “Global Britain” as its foreign policy strategy in the post-Brexit era. It claims to take full advantage of regained freedom to act actively to maintain its great power status which has a huge global influence. However, the practice of “Global Britain” strategy has faced many challenges and the UK diplomacy has fallen into dilemmas of choice. The reason lies in the inherent defects of the concept of “Global Britain”. However, UK is still trying to grab the spotlight, especially to keep a sufficient degree of strategic autonomy. It is an important variable that affects the transformation of the pattern of international relations.
Keywords: “Global Britain”, Brexit, British foreign policy
Abstract: The new scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is developing. Science and technology is becoming the main battlefield in international strategy. The competition among the rules,standards and systems of technology development and application will directly affect the international power structure, and reshape the international system. Based on the technological multilateralism, the United States and its partner countries will form Techno Democratic Alliances and formulate new rules and standards for global scientific and technological development and governance to realize new technological hegemony. As the Techno Democratic Alliances framework is gradually forming, international power structure, global governance and international system will be significantly affected.
Keywords: Techno Alliances, technological multilateralism, international power structure, international system
Abstract: Given the changes of strategic background, the United States has tried different strategic tools. As a key strategic containment tool, the Western technology alliance led by the United States has successfully limited the economic and technological progress of its strategic competitors. The United States has intended to form a new exclusive technology alliance with its Western allies and intensify the strategic competition and game with its strategic rivals in the new technological dimension. At present, the global technological structural characteristics, the structure of global value chain, European and American technological governance structure have caused troubles for the establishment of the technology alliance. But as a strategic tool, technology alliance is still the Biden administration’s priority strategy in the context of strategic security option.
Keywords: technology alliance, containment strategy, strategic security, global value chain