The UK’s Tilt Towards The Indo-Pacific In The Post-Brexit Era:A Role Theory Perspective

Since the referendum decided on Brexit in 2016,Britain’s foreign policy has undergone phased changes,focusing on the fields of politics,economy and security.During Theresa May’s tenure as Prime Minister,the British government used the slogan "Global Britain" to represent the country’s foreign policy in the post-Brexit era.The word "global" represents Britain’s determination to strengthen its influence outside Europe.In the ever-changing global environment,the Indo-Pacific region has become a new hot spot with increasing economic,political and security significance.On March 16,2021,the UK Government released Global Britain in a competitive age:the Integrated Review of Security,Defence,Development and Foreign Policy(the Integrated Review),which officially positioned the Indo-Pacific region as the preferred place for the UK to expand its global influence.The thesis focuses on Britain’s strategic deployment in the Indo-Pacific region in the post-Brexit era,and discusses from the three major fields of economy,politics and security.This paper studies this topic with the help of the application of role theory in the field of international relations.National role conception includes the decision maker’s definition of the general decision-making,commitment,rules and actions of the country,as well as the functions that the state should continue to perform in the international system or the subordinate regional system.National role is often used as a variable for the operation of the international system or the interpretation of the foreign policy of individual countries.It can be related to the pursuit of national status and national performance,and can be applied to the evaluation and analysis of the country’s foreign policy.Starting from the three fields of economy,politics and security,the thesis uses a combination of content analysis and case studies to study the realisation of Britain’s economic,political and security roles in the Indo-Pacific region in the post-Brexit era.The sources referenced in this article include:analysis and research by scholars at home and abroad on the situation in the Indo-Pacific and the post-Brexit foreign policy,the Integrated Review,important policy documents,reports on the UK,government websites of the UK and Indo Pacific countries,speeches of important officials such as the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary on different occasions,as well as the research report of think tanks of the UK and Indo-Pacific countries.Through detailed research,this thesis draws the following conclusion:Britain has established a relatively clear understanding and routes toward realisation of its economic,political and security role in the Indo-Pacific region.The UK seeks for different status and role in various fields are,mainly through bilateral and multilateral consultations and cooperation.The thesis points out that the realization of the UK’s national role is limited by its own military strength,economic power and trade relations with the countries represented by China in the Indo-Pacific region.In the economic field,the UK hopes to promote "free trade" in the Indo-Pacific region,adopting a parallel approach of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.The UK vigorously promotes the signing of free trade agreements with countries in the Indo-Pacific region,so as to accelerate its accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement(CPTPP).However,it makes concessions in interest in order to sign the agreements,which has caused dissatisfaction domestically;and some countries also attach importance to trade agreements with the European Union,which has an impact on the signing of bilateral agreements with the UK.In the political field,"human rights" and "democracy" are the ideas that Britain has always promoted.Britain intervened in Indo-Pacific affairs by promulgating British National(overseas)passports(BNO)and calling on allies to impose targeted sanctions on Chinese Xinjiang and Myanmar and promoted its long-pranced concept of freedom.Though it has won recognition from ASEAN,Britain’s malicious misinterpretation and frequent intervention in Xinjiang and Hong Kong question has brought Sino-British relations to a freezing point.In the field of security,the UK regards maritime security as its key area in the Indo-Pacific region,and cooperates with other countries in the field of cyber security.Britain mainly participates in marine security affairs in the Indo-Pacific region by joining multiple military exercises and establishing alliances such as AUKUS.However,the strength of the British navy and air force is limited,resulting its high dependency on its allies.This article establishes an analytical framework through role theory,and uses content analysis and case studies,hoping to contribute to the foreign policy research of the United Kingdom in the Indo-Pacific region in the post-Brexit era.