Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Eighth Report - Tilting horizons: the Integrated Review and the Indo-Pacific
Foreign Affairs Committee
HC 172
Published 30 August 2023
Recommendations
12
Acknowledged
Para 44
Explain Indo-Pacific prioritisation translated into long-term FCDO budget and diplomatic post allocation.
Recommendation
The Government should now explain how its prioritisation of the Indo-Pacific region will be translated into long-term resource allocation, for example in a reallocation of FCDO budget towards the Indo-Pacific and an increase in the number of diplomatic posts in …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees the Indo-Pacific is a long-term priority and critical for the UK, but it does not explain how this prioritisation will translate into long-term resource allocation, budget reallocation, or an increase in diplomatic posts in the region as requested.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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26
Acknowledged
Establish a central CNI list to improve coordination and clarify priority areas.
Recommendation
Cross-government and external agency coordination in mitigating the risk of technological dependence on China is uneven and disjointed. The Government should create a central CNI list to improve coordination and clarify areas of priority. With the technology sector now dominated …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the need for CNI resilience and states it is developing a Critical National Infrastructure Resilience Strategy. However, it does not explicitly commit to creating a central CNI list to improve coordination as recommended.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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Conclusions (8)
4
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 26
We welcome the realistic and pragmatic response in the Refresh to recent geopolitical events and trends, in particular the primary focus on the Euro-Atlantic and the establishment of the Indo-Pacific as a permanent pillar of the UK’s international policy.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that the Indo-Pacific must be a long-term and enduring aspect of UK international policy, compatible with the Euro-Atlantic remaining a core priority.
7
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 30
It is not yet clear whether the Tilt has achieved a permanent rebalancing of UK foreign policy. It will only have done so if prioritisation is maintained consistently over a long period during which relationships can be built and sustained on the basis of the original Tilt.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees the Indo-Pacific is a long-term and enduring aspect of UK international policy, asserting that it now forms a permanent pillar of policy, thus addressing the committee's point about clarity on rebalancing.
11
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 43
The continuing high priority of the Indo-Pacific in the 2023 Refresh should be matched by a commensurately expanded resource allocation to ensure delivery. While welcoming the doubling of spending on China-facing capability and the £20 million more for the BBC World Service, there needs to be more transparency on the …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that the Indo-Pacific is a long-term and enduring aspect of UK international policy, critical to the economy and security, but does not provide details on expanded resource allocation or increased transparency.
23
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 73
We must recognise that all pillars of society are under attack from autocracies and that our resulting defence against them must be a defence of all of our society.
Government Response Summary
The government's response discusses its zero-tolerance approach to transnational repression and efforts to build resilience against economic coercion, thereby implicitly acknowledging societal threats, but does not explicitly address the broad conclusion on defending all pillars of society.
32
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 97
A Free and Open Indo-Pacific is the right basis for cooperation between widely differing countries in the region on common policy areas, as it establishes basic principles on which like-minded countries can agree and then move on to fashion shared approaches to putting them into practice. Again, if we wish …
Government Response Summary
The government agreed with the objective of a free and open Indo-Pacific and stated it is a clear, critical, and enduring aspect of the UK's international policy.
50
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 166
The UK needs to build on its existing cooperation with Taiwan and with like-minded partner countries to help achieve Taiwan’s peaceful objectives and strengthen its resilience. This is not a threat to the CCP, but a friendship with a fellow democracy.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the recommendation to build on existing cooperation with Taiwan and like-minded partners, citing ongoing contact with G7, efforts to promote British firms, and work on supply chain resilience through the Semiconductor Strategy.
55
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 191
We welcome the UK-Japan Digital Partnership signed in December 2022, under which the two countries will cooperate more closely in 14 areas.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's welcome of the UK-Japan Digital Partnership, highlighting its contributions to app security, a new Semiconductors Partnership via the Hiroshima Accord, and the renewal of the Science and Technology Agreement.
56
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 192
We also welcome the signing of the UK-Republic of Korea bilateral framework of cooperation in June 2022 and the July 2022 data adequacy agreement signed between the UK and the Republic of Korea, as well as the February 2022 Digital Economy Agreement between the UK and Singapore.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's welcome, highlighting the signing of the UK-ROK Downing Street Accord, the launch of a new Digital Partnership to strengthen cooperation, and the data bridge regulation with the Republic of Korea coming into effect in December 2022.