Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 34
34
Deferred
Five-Power Defence Arrangements offer strong basis for wider Southeast Asia alliance.
Conclusion
In the face of challenges such as the more aggressive role of China in the South China Sea, the Five-Power Defence Arrangements, with their solid history of military cooperation, could be a firm basis for a wider regional alliance in Southeast Asia. (Paragraph 102) Human rights and the Rules-Based International Order
Government Response Summary
The government partially agrees, highlighting the importance of diplomatic presence and building partnerships, and states it has already doubled the number of British High Commissions across Pacific Island Countries in the last four years, rather than addressing the role of the Five-Power Defence Arrangements for a wider regional alliance.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
35. The Government partially agrees with the Committee. Given the importance of building enduring partnerships based on patient diplomacy, diplomatic posts are essential to understanding the local context and inform UK decision-making in the long-term. The Government has already increased its diplomatic presence in the region. We have doubled the number of British High Commissions across the Pacific Island Countries over the past four years. The UK now has six High Commissions in the Pacific including: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu.