Simon Case, former head of the UK's civil service, characterized Xi Jinping as a dictator, emphasizing the need for the UK and Europe to hasten defense spending increases. He highlighted that China has signaled serious intentions regarding Taiwan conflict. The UK plans to allocate 2.6% of GDP on defense by 2027, with aspirations to reach 5% by 2035. The increased spending is influenced by previous pressures from Donald Trump on NATO members to augment their military budgets. Case noted that while China reacts adversely to the term 'dictator,' its intentions should not be underestimated.
Case described Xi Jinping as a dictator and emphasized the importance of recognizing the clear message from China regarding conflict in Taiwan. The UK must increase defense spending in response.
There's some actually quite helpful pressure, if you ask me, from the White House about us pulling our fingers out in Europe and actually stepping up to the plate on our defense spending.
We spend millions of pounds on secret intelligence, which is absolutely amazing, but we're really bad at missing what they actually say in public.
The UK is committed to spending 2.6% of GDP in 2027, aiming for 5% by 2035 on militaries and related security in response to changing global threats.
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