LONDON, July 28 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's talk of sending the Royal Navy's mightiest warships to the South China Sea was dismissed on Friday as bluster by a British academic.
Johnson's promise during a speech made earlier in Australia, that a visit to the South China Sea region would be among the first assignments of Britain's new super aircraft carrier, attracted global attention.
Scott Lucas, a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham, said Johnson's comments would not help ease tensions in that region with talk of militarizing or escalating the situation.
"You have to wonder why he said what he did," he added.
Johnson's Australia trip, which he wrapped up on Thursday, was intended to boost post-Brexit trade between the two countries, who were major trading partners before Britain joined the European Union in the 1970s, said the expert.
"But what Johnson has done in the process, is to court one country by alienating a potentially larger trade partner in China," said Lucas.
"There is still this idea that Britain sees itself as a great power, with its great British naval strength. Yet at the same time Britain is detaching itself from Europe, raising questions about Britain's international role," he said.
Lucas blamed the foreign secretary's remarks on his flamboyant and outspoken personality. In addition, Britain may be portrayed as unreliable, he said.
"The fact of the matter is that Beijing will see it (Johnson's comments) not as a sign of strength, but a sign of weakness," he added.
Johnson did backtrack after what he said in his initial comments when he spoke of military deployment, without checking with the British Ministry of Defense. Defense Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said Britain was not committing itself to what Johnson had committed, but added that at some stage there would be military deployment in the India/Pacific region.
Lucas said he did not believe the issue of the disputed islands in the South China Sea would be resolved through what China would see as threats, but would require multilateral negotiations involving countries from the region sitting around the table.
"Everyone needs to take the heat out of the situation by taking a step back. That is why Johnson's comments have not been helpful," said Lucas.
