Indo-Pacific tilt
The war in Ukraine has inevitably led to a shift in focus on the UK’s near abroad and wider European security. But the strategic shift in focus towards the east remains a stated policy. This will be recast again as the Integrated Review of UK foreign policy is “refreshed.” At the end of September, the Foreign Secretary visited Japan, South Korea and Singapore. And at the G20, Mr Sunak went out of his way to meet Asian leaders. There has been much interest in that part of the world in a new British prime minister who is a Hindu of Indian origin.
Softer line on China
Mr Sunak has appeared to strike a more pragmatic and less ideological position on China than his predecessor. During the summer leadership contest, he toughened his line, promising to close Confucius Institutes in the UK and brand China a threat. But in office the tone has softened. Speaking to reporters on the plane to the G20, he corrected himself when he referred to China as a threat, calling it a challenge instead. He said: “I think that China unequivocally poses a systemic threat — well, a systemic challenge — to our values and our interests, and is undoubtedly the biggest state-based threat to our economic security … But I also think that China is an indisputable fact of the global economy and we’re not going to be able to resolve shared global challenges like climate change, or public health, or indeed actually dealing with Russia and Ukraine, without having a dialogue with them.”
Economic focus
Like any new Prime Minister, Mr Sunak will play to his strengths and his experience. And that means he is likely to view foreign policy through an economic prism, especially when the world is facing an energy crisis. He has emphasised the importance of the UK joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Negotiations continue with the prospects of a deal next year. He’s also tried to get trade talks with India back on track. And ministers say he views the Northern Ireland protocol as a fundamentally economic dispute rather than a political or constitutional clash.
Foreign aid
Mr Sunak was the driving force behind cutting the UK’s foreign aid budget from 0.7 per cent of national income to just 0.5 per cent. And that long term cut was confirmed at the Autumn Statement. But the Prime Minister has appointed Andrew Mitchell as his Development Secretary, a man who rebelled against the cut and championed foreign aid as International Development Secretary. Mr Mitchell has already scrounged back £2.5billion for aid spending overseas over the next two years. But ultimately the UK’s reputation as a development superpower will likely be restored only when the money returns.