Senior peer Lord Rogan has asked the Government to clarify if it intends to boost UK military presence in the Indo-Pacific after the House of Commons Defence Select Committee warned that, in its view, “China intends to confront Taiwan, whether by direct military action or ‘grey zone’ attacks, in the coming years.”
In its report published earlier this week, the cross-party committee of MPs added: “The Government and the UK Armed Forces must ensure that they have plans for the UK’s response – co-ordinated with allies and partners – to a range of actions by China against Taiwan.”
Lord Rogan, Co-Chair of the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, said: “I recently addressed a meeting of the World League for Freedom and Democracy in Taipei where there were grave concerns about China’s continuing campaign of brazen intimidation against the Taiwanese people.
“Whilst the United States has a significant military presence in the Indo-Pacific, the Defence Select Committee correctly states in its report that the UK has ‘little to no fighting force in the region and little by way of regular activity.’
“This despite the region being home to more than 1.7 million British citizens, the UK’s trading relationship with the Indo-Pacific amounting to over £250 billion in 2022 and 60 per cent of global trade passing though shipping routes in that region, meaning regional security has a direct impact on households across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
“The UK Government must acknowledge that words are not enough in deterring China from a potential invasion of Taiwan, which I have no doubt President Xi Jinping would attempt if he thought he could get away with it.
“That requires the UK to work much more closely with our allies in the region to counter the threats from Beijing, including sanctioning some form of deployment of our Armed Forces.
“I will be tabling a Written Parliamentary Question to seek more information from UK Ministers on their intentions.”
