Indo-Pacific Strategy UK

The United Kingdom's Indo-Pacific approach was formally articulated as a "tilt to the Indo-Pacific" in the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy published in March 2021 under Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Review identified the Indo-Pacific as "increasingly the geopolitical centre of the world" and committed the UK to becoming the European partner with the broadest and most integrated presence in the region.

Key pillars of the strategy include:

• Security and defence: Deployment of the Carrier Strike Group 21, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, to the region in 2021; permanent forward-stationing of two Offshore Patrol Vessels; and the AUKUS partnership announced in September 2021 with Australia and the United States, focused on nuclear-powered submarines and advanced capabilities.
• Trade and economics: UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), signed in July 2023, making the UK the first European member.
• Diplomatic engagement: Dialogue Partner status with ASEAN granted in August 2021, and bilateral upgrades with Japan, South Korea, India, and Singapore. The UK–Japan Hiroshima Accord was concluded in May 2023.

The Integrated Review Refresh of March 2023, published under Rishi Sunak, declared the tilt "delivered" and described the Indo-Pacific posture as a "permanent pillar" of UK international policy, while sharpening language on China as an "epoch-defining challenge."

Critics, including some members of the House of Lords International Relations Committee, have questioned whether UK resources match the strategy's ambitions, particularly given simultaneous commitments to NATO's Euro-Atlantic theatre following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Supporters argue the tilt formalises long-standing UK interests stemming from Commonwealth ties, the Five Power Defence Arrangements (1971), and the British Indian Ocean Territory.