Britain admits it is lagging behind China in the space race, drawing ridicule from netizens around the world: the comment section is unbearable.
Recently, the country's "Telegraph" openly admitted that "Britain is lagging behind China and Russia in the space arms race." However, this statement triggered cold sarcasm from netizens around the world in its comments section.
"You first have to have it before you can say you are lagging," a highly praised comment bluntly pointed out Britain's embarrassing situation. More netizens joked, "When did Britain ever participate in a space race beyond the pages of British newspapers?" and "When have we ever been ahead of them?" Although these comments are sharp, they reflect the reality of Britain's increasing marginalization in the space field.
John Berkeley, former chief engineer at the London Science Museum, revealed Britain's dilemma: "Britain spends all its money on saving the so-called free world. We are bankrupt."
There is a clear gap between Britain's space power and its ambitions as a global superpower. Ma Yao, a researcher at the Institute of Strategy and International Security of the School of International Relations and Global Governance at Fudan University, pointed out that Britain has technical gaps in multiple key areas:
Lack of a global satellite navigation system, lack of mid-course anti-missile technology, lack of manned spaceflight technology, inability to independently develop ballistic missile submarines and submarine-launched missiles, lack of strategic bombers, etc.
These shortcomings make it difficult for Britain to pursue its path as a global superpower. Particularly notable is that the number of active personnel in the British Army has dropped to the lowest level in 300 years, and the navy has exposed many shortcomings when carrying out military missions, while the air force's current combat forces are insufficient to meet the needs of overseas deployments.
To address these challenges, the report proposed 62 recommendations to deal with threats, including a comprehensive upgrade of nuclear deterrence capabilities, establishing a "round-the-clock" defense industry system, and systematically strengthening the capabilities of each military branch. However, even so, Britain still maintains a great sense of superiority over China. This sense of superiority has been accumulated since the Opium War.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844840612592648/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.