The British ‘tilt’ to the Indo-Pacific and its ramifications for the South China Sea

The integrated review seeks to embolden the UK’s influence in the Indo-Pacific, outlining a ‘tilt’ to the region in which the South China Sea is a crucial component, a ‘chokepoint’ that may threaten the UK’s post-Brexit reliance on export trade.

The review emphasises a ‘systemic challenge’ in China’s rise. The UK’s new aircraft carrier has been deployed to the Indo-Pacific and will undertake South China Sea Freedom of Navigation sailings that will likely be met with Chinese contestation both diplomatically and by demonstrations of Chinese power by way of ‘flyovers’.

Questions remain over the UK’s capacity to sustain a presence in the region, with sparse logistical support for long-term deployments and little discussion in the review on how to integrate the UK into existing institutions.