Royal Navy to be deployed to Pacific amid China threat

The Royal Navy will expand its presence in the Pacific Ocean, Sir Keir Starmer has said, in a move to counter China’s growing influence.

- DAVID LYNCH

The prime minister has laid out plans for a greater naval presence in the Pacific as he prepares to end his visit to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) yesterday.

As he met with his Singaporean counterpart, Sir Keir said the UK’s foreign policy cannot just be dealing with challenges close to home, but also helping to tackle the problems faced by allies further afield. The larger naval presence will include more joint patrols across the world’s largest ocean to reinforce the security of its small island nations, respond to natural disasters and combat illegal fishing.

The patrols play into a strategy adopted by the UK in recent years called the “Indo-Pacific tilt”, which is aimed at countering the growing influence of China and ensuring the West has a widespread presence in the region.