Global Britain tilts to Indo-Pacific and bolsters nuclear arsenal

UK's new integrated review calls China a 'systemic challenge'

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday that the U.K. cannot be content with the "cramped horizons" of a regional foreign policy. (Photo courtesy of the Royal Navy)

RHYANNON BARTLETT-IMADEGAWA, Nikkei staff writer

March 16, 2021 18:32 JST

Updated on March 17, 2021 00:21 JST

LONDON -- The U.K. has adopted a "tilt to the Indo-Pacific" and framed China as a "systemic challenge" in an integrated review of security, defense, development and foreign policy published Tuesday, billed as London's biggest rethink of these policy areas since the end of the Cold War.

The 100-page integrated review, titled "Global Britain in a Competitive Age," recognizes the Indo-Pacific as "the crucible for many of the most pressing global challenges" and notes "the U.K. will deepen our engagement in the Indo-Pacific, establishing a greater and more persistent presence than any other European country," in the decade ahead.