Britain plans to increase 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 the expansion of China’s maritime reach.
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(Bloomberg) — Britain plans to ramp up naval activity in the Pacific, including more fishing patrols, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to show support for U.S.-led efforts to check China’s maritime reach.
Starmer will announce increased Royal Navy operations in the region when he is in Samoa on Saturday to attend the final day of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting. The effort will include expanded patrols with Pacific Island nations to respond to natural disasters and combat illegal fishing, which is a concern for the region as Chinese fleets – often escorted by government security vessels – sail overseas for stocks.
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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 facing our friends and partners on the other side,” Starmer said in a statement. “So my message today is clear: This is just the beginning of our commitment to the Indo-Pacific.”
Britain has sought to rebuild its historical links to the region after Brexit and this year will become the first European country 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 a $6 billion multilateral development bank contract. The UK and New Zealand will also announce new collaborations to support renewable energy projects.
Britain is trying to strengthen its Royal Navy presence in the Indian and Pacific Oceans after decades of ceding responsibility to allies such as the US and Australia. The rise of China, which now has the world’s largest navy by the number of ships, has prompted a call from Washington for other countries to consider shouldering the burden of security.
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Britain plans to send HMS Prince of Wales – one of two British aircraft carriers commissioned in recent years to carry advanced F-35 fighter jets – on a tour of the Pacific next year. Starmer and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will announce on Saturday that the carrier and her escort will call at the Royal Navy’s Pacific base during the deployment.
Still, Britain could not project the maritime power it once had. The carrier has been beset by engineering problems and the Royal Navy has fewer than 70 surface ships, compared to the US’s nearly 300. Britain has only two patrol ships fully deployed in the Pacific, including HMS Tamar, which provides security. during the Commonwealth meeting.
The Pacific islands are at the center of growing competition between China and the US for maritime routes, deepwater ports and other strategic assets due to the country’s proximity to major shipping lanes and communication cables.
“My visit to the Pacific this week only reinforces the importance of this part of the world to the prosperity and security of Britain,” Starmer said, pledging to take part in “ensuring a safer and fairer world.”
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