Britain Plans to Challenge China’s Pacific Dominance – And Why It Matters

By Ellen Milligan (Bloomberg) The UK plans to step up its naval activity in the Pacific, including more joint fishing patrols, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to show support for US-led efforts to check China’s expanding maritime reach.

Starmer will announce increased Royal Navy operations in the region while in Samoa on Saturday to attend the final day of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting. The efforts will include expanded patrols with Pacific Island nations to respond to natural disasters and counter illegal fishing, a growing concern for the region as Chinese fleets — often escorted by government security vessels — sail further abroad for stocks.

Countries such as the US and France, which each have overseas territories in the South Pacific, have announced similar efforts. 

“We cannot turn a blind eye to the challenges faced by our friends and partners on the other side of the world,” Starmer said in a statement. “So my message today is clear: This is just the beginning of our commitment to the Indo-Pacific.”

The UK has sought to rebuild its historical links to the region in the wake of Brexit and will this year become the first European nation to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. 

While in Samoa, Starmer is expected to announce a joint effort with Australia to set up a “Pacific Business Club” to help companies bid for $6 billion of multilateral development bank contracts. Britain and New Zealand will also announces a new collaboration to support renewable energy projects. 

The UK is attempting to bolster the Royal Navy’s presence in the Indian and Pacific Oceans after decades of ceding responsibilities to allies such as the US and Australia. The rise of China, which now boasts the world’s largest navy by number of ships, has prompted calls from Washington for like-minded nations to help carry the security load.

The UK plans to send the HMS Prince of Wales — one of two British aircraft carriers commissioned in recent years to carry advanced F-35 fighter jets — on a Pacific tour next year. Starmer and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will announce on Saturday that the carrier and its escorts will call at the Royal Navy’s one-time Pacific stronghold during the deployment. 

Still, Britain can’t project maritime power the way it once did. The aircraft carriers have been dogged by engineering problems and the Royal Navy has fewer than 70 surface ships, compared with the US’s almost 300. The UK only has two patrol vessels deployed full-time in the Pacific, including the HMS Tamar, which provided security during the Commonwealth gathering. 

The Pacific Islands are at the center of an escalating competition between China and the US for maritime routes, deep-water ports and other strategic assets due to the countries’ proximity to key shipping lanes and communication cables. 

“My visit to the Pacific this week has only reinforced how important this part of the world is to the United Kingdom’s prosperity and security,” Starmer said, pledging to play a part in “ensuring a safer, fairer world.”

By Ellen Milligan © 2024 Bloomberg L.P.

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