By Zhang Shaolin

张少林

The UK and India recently reached a major agreement to upgrade their bilateral relationship to a "comprehensive strategic partnership," according to Indian media reports. The two sides will deepen defense and security cooperation and proposed joint research and development of next-generation fighter jets for the first time. This has attracted widespread attention.

据印度媒体报道，英国和印度近日达成一项重大协议，将英印双边关系提升为“全面战略伙伴关系”，双方将深化防务安全合作，并首次提出联合研发下一代战斗机，引起广泛关注。

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a 10-year road map when they reached cooperation between the two countries. The two countries will further deepen their defense and security cooperation under the framework of the UK-India defense and international security partnership, especially in key military technologies such as next-generation fighter jets, ship propulsion systems, and complex weapons and equipment. The UK clearly stated its support for India’s Tejas LCA Mk2 fighter jet project. This is the first time that high-level leaders from the two countries have agreed on the joint development of a new fighter jet.

印度总理莫迪与英国首相约翰逊在达成两国合作时,公布了一份为期10年的路线图，表示两国将在英印防务和国际安全伙伴关系框架下进一步深化防务安全合作,特别是在下一代战斗机、舰船推进系统和复杂武器装备等关键军事技术方面。特别是在“光辉”LCA Mk2战斗机项目上，英国明确表态支持印度,这是英印高层首次就联合研制新型战斗机达成协议。

However, the UK and India have their own plans for deepening defense and security cooperation. For India, the signing of the agreement this time is more out of consideration for enhancing its own military strength and expanding its regional influence. On the one hand, the Asia-Pacific region is becoming the focus of global geopolitics and geoeconomics. India is trying to form a regional deterrence by enhancing its military strength. On the other hand, India's defense industry is backward, and its military equipment demand is overly dependent on procurement. Five of the eight major purchases listed by the Indian Ministry of Defense in 2021 depend on imports. For example, India's Tejas LCA Mk1 fighter jets use American or British aero engines. India chose to work with the UK because it hopes to use the technical strength of the UK to accelerate the process of localization of weapons and equipment.

英印深化防务安全合作各有各的盘算。对于印度来说，此次签署协议，更多是出于提升自身军事实力和扩大地区影响力的考量。一方面，当前亚太地区正成为全球地缘政治和地缘经济的焦点，印度企图通过提升军事实力形成地区威慑。另一方面，印度国防工业落后，其军事装备需求过度依赖采购。2021年印度国防部列出的8项重大采购中有5项依靠进口。如印度“光辉”LCA Mk1战斗机要采用美国或英国的航空发动机。印度选择和英国合作，希望借助英国的技术力量，加速武器装备国产化进程。

As an extraterritorial country, the UK's eagerness to deploy in the Asia-Pacific region has other intentions. On the one hand, the UK sees India as a powerful force that can be relied upon to enter the Asia-Pacific region. This cooperation is based on the premise of leading the path of India's military development and borrowing India's hands to intervene in Indo-Pacific affairs deeply. It aims to pave the way for creating an "Indo-Pacific Order" under the leadership of the UK and the realization of the goal of "Global Britain". On the other hand, after the Brexit, EU countries represented by France and Germany are no longer willing to carry out in-depth cooperation with the UK. At the same time, the US wants independent research and development. Therefore, the UK urgently needs allies. From the perspective of the UK, choosing to work with India means that the UK takes the lead in the development of next-generation fighter jets while obtains financial support from India.

作为域外国家，英国急于布局亚太地区颇有深意。对于英国来说，一方面，英国将印度视为跻身亚太地区的可倚重力量。此番合作是在主导印度军事发展路径的前提下，借印度之手深入介入印太事务，为打造英国主导下的“印太秩序”，实现“全球英国”目标铺路。另一方面，英国“脱欧”后，以法德为代表的欧盟国家已不愿与英国开展深度合作，而美国则希望独立研发。因此，英国迫切需要寻求盟友。在英国看来，选择与印度合作，等同于英国把握了下一代战斗机研发的主导权，还获取印度的资金支持。

It can be said that the defense cooperation between the UK and India, based on their respective national interests, cannot go beyond the scope of "strategic mutual utilization" and is far from a real security alliance.

可见，基于各自国家利益，英印两国防务合作难以超越“战略性互相利用”的范畴，离真正意义上的安全同盟相去甚远。