London/Tokyo/Beijing – The United Kingdom has announced increasing defence cooperation with Japan against the backdrop of China’s hegemonic actions. A high-level delegation, along with British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, is on a visit to Japan. The United Kingdom announced that the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth would visit Japan in September for a joint exercise. Wallace announced that at the same time, the United Kingdom would permanently deploy two of its warships in the Indo-Pacific region by the end of next year.
Over the past few years, China’s expansionist activities have intensified, with aggressive policies being implemented to increase its influence over the entire Pacific region, including the South and the East China Sea. The United States has taken the initiative to counter Chinese aggression and called on allies in the Indo-Pacific region and allies in Europe to be more proactive. Since then, countries like France, Germany and Britain have indicated an increase in their movements in the Indo-Pacific. These countries have also announced separate policies for it, signalling the defence deployment forwarding the issue of ‘Freedom of Navigation’.
