Monthly Archives: February 2016

The MOD acknowledges the Committee’s support of the Government’s position on territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. As set out in the SDSR, we will work with countries in the region and traditional allies and friends, such as Japan with whom we have recently held joint Defence and Foreign Ministerial talks where we discussed security in the South and East China Seas, and to strengthen cooperation on settling international and regional disputes peacefully in accordance with the UN Charter and international law. We may not always agree with countries in the region but we believe that direct engagement will enable us to improve understanding, address areas of difference, and help to build stability, whilst protecting the UK’s fundamental interests and values. The SDSR sets out the investment that we are making in our Royal Navy fleet and more widely our vision for Joint Force 2025. We remain committed to deploying maritime assets to the region as the opportunity arises, and we have the agility to re-task assets to the region as required. As stated in SDSR, we will increase our maritime contribution to the Five Power Defence Arrangements by including our new aircraft carriers and establish British Defence Staff in the Asia Pacific.

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