Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to strengthen relations with prospective allies in the Indo-Pacific region.

The UK recognises the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific to global prosperity and security and is committed to its allies and partners in the region. Defence is an essential part of the UK's integrated offer to the region and, as such, we will be strengthening our regional defence cooperation and dialogue with our key partners in the region.

Working together to mitigate growing threats to our security, we will continue to work with Indo-Pacific partners such as India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia and the United States to build resilience and capacity in the region, tackle shared security challenges and uphold freedom of navigation and international law. In addition, we will develop capability partnerships and support UK prosperity by strengthening defence exports and increasing our interoperability.

We have also committed to developing closer cooperation with ASEAN member states, and to make a bigger and more consistent contribution to the Five Power Defence Arrangements.

This year's Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo Pacific is just one example of a confident, UK-led, highly technological, and internationally partnered effort to strengthen our alliances and national interests. The CSG deployment to the Indo-Pacific underlines the UK's global ambition and leadership as an inclusive, outward-facing and free-trading nation, assertive in defending our values and interests and a champion of international rules.