James Cleverly in Japan for G7 as UK tilts towards Pacific post-Brexit
James Cleverly has arrived in Japan for a G7 foreign ministers’ summit to promote a “free and open” Indo-Pacific, as the UK government steps up its focus on the region after Brexit.
The foreign secretary and his counterparts from countries including the US and France will hold high-level talks on closer security and defence ties in the face of China’s growing assertiveness in the Pacific.
The government’s updated integrated review last month reinforced a post-Brexit “tilt” towards the region as a “permanent pillar” of British foreign policy to create a democratic counterweight to China.
The visit comes after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, prompted concern last week on a flight back from China by suggesting that Europe should not get dragged into a US-Beijing confrontation over Taiwan. British officials have stressed that the situation is of global concern.
The UK last month joined the 11-member strong Asia-Pacific trade bloc that includes Japan and Australia after nearly two years of negotiations, as part of a push to agree worldwide trade deals after leaving the European Union.
However, critics say the impact will be limited, with official estimates suggesting it will add just £1.8bn a year to the economy after 10 years, representing less than 1% of UK GDP.
China, which is already part of an alternative Pacific trade deal, has applied to join, but the Guardian understands that the UK is among member states that would be likely to veto this, while the US pulled out of the agreement on Donald Trump’s first day in office in 2017.
Cleverly will travel on to the Pacific Islands and New Zealand on his first visit to the region since the UK joined the trade partnership, and the first tour of some of the islands by a British
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