Select Committee · Defence Committee

UK Defence and the Far East inquiry

Status: Closed Opened: 5 Mar 2019 Closed: 5 Mar 2019
Inquiry scopeThe Defence Committee is conducting an inquiry into the security situation in the Far East and the potential role that UK Defence can play in the region. Context The Far East has become an area of growing concern for UK Governments and allies, including the USA, in recent years, prompted by China’s programme of military modernisation and her activities in the South and East China Seas. Over the past decade, China has pursued a number of territorial claims, including through the rapid and large-scale reclamation of territory in the South China Sea, overseeing a substantial military build-up in the region, pursuits of territorial claims that have defied international law and have prompted protests from neighbouring states. In the East China Sea, China has also been embroiled in disputes with Japan over their rival territorial claims to the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and their respective maritime boundaries. As a result, tensions have steadily risen in the South and East China Seas, prompting rival regional actors, most notably Japan, to develop their military capabilities and conduct military exercises in the region.

Oral evidence sessions

1 session

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Date Session and witnesses Source
25 Jun 2019 No witnesses recorded View ↗