Feb 17, 2022: The UK has pledged 25 million pounds ($34 million) in a bid to promote “peace and stability” in the Indo-Pacific, amid growing concerns about China’s power and influence in the region.

Excellent discussion with my good friend @BorisJohnson on the very concerning situation in Ukraine and implications for the Indo-Pacific. We’re advancing our AUKUS & security ties, and doing more together in our region, including with ASEAN, and in trade and science and tech. pic.twitter.com/FI2dZogsRU

— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) February 17, 2022

The UK seeks to deepen a security agreement with Australia. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison said in a joint statement after a video meeting on Thursday that the funds would be used “to strengthen regional resilience in areas including cyberspace, state threats and maritime security”.

The statement expressed “grave concerns” about alleged human rights abuses in China’s westernmost region of Xinjiang and the situation in Myanmar, and stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Britain and Australia are deepening security ties as China becomes increasingly aggressive about its territorial and maritime claims in the region.

In the South China Sea, part of which is claimed by Southeast Asian countries that surround it, Beijing has built artificial islands and rocks into military bases, with its Coast Guard and a naval militia deployed to support its claim on almost the entire region.

A joint statement by Johnson and Morrison said, “Leaders reiterated their strong opposition to any unilateral actions that could escalate tensions and undermine regional stability and the international rules-based order, including militarisation, coercion, and intimidation.”

The UK and Australia are the closest of friends and historic allies.

Tonight Prime Minister @ScottMorrisonMP and I agreed to strengthen the partnership between our nations, making it fit for the next century and grounded in our shared priorities on security, democracy and trade. pic.twitter.com/z5F7HGmiac

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 16, 2022

The UK said there had been “significant progress” in providing Australia with conventional nuclear-powered submarines, a key element of the AUKUS agreement reached with the United States last September. Along with the United States, Japan and India, Australia is also a key member of the quad, whose members agreed last week to further deepen security cooperation.

US and British experts are now in Australia to advise on the project — announced in September under a new Australia-Britain-US defence alliance, AUKUS — they said after talks between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British leader Boris Johnson.

“All three partners have made significant progress in their collective endeavour to provide the Royal Australian Navy with a conventional-armed nuclear-powered submarine capability at the earliest possible date,” Australia and Britain said. The AUKUS alliance would make Australia the only non-nuclear weapons power with nuclear-powered submarines, capable of travelling long distances without surfacing.

The two countries said they were advancing in joint discussions with the United States on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and unspecified “additional undersea capabilities”.

Discussions between them also focused on Myanmar, where the generals who seized power through a coup in February 2021 have used force against those opposed to its rule and have been accused of cracking down on civilians. With Russian troops positioned along the Ukraine border, Johnson and Morrison also stressed the need for de-escalation of the situation.

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