Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the UK Government is taking to strengthen military co-operation with allies in the Indo-Pacific region.

The UK already has strong ties with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, reinforced by regular exercises and operations. We maintain the UK Garrison in Brunei and UK-managed military facilities in Singapore. The UK will continue to deepen bilateral and multilateral defence engagement in the region - for example, in recently re-establishing the resident Defence Adviser post in Sri Lanka and applying for Observer Status on two of the Association of Southeastern Asian Nations Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus Expert Working Groups.