UK Foreign Secretary Praises Maritime, Supply Chain Security Talks Following India Visit

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper Advances Britain's Partnership with India in Maritime Security and Economic Growth

The UK government announced on Friday that Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper's visit to India has driven forward Britain's partnership with India in maritime security, economic growth, and keeping supply chains secure from global economic shocks. Cooper held meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar earlier this week, which built on the strategic direction and vision for deeper cooperation as per the India-UK Vision 2035 agreed between Modi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The senior Cabinet minister highlighted the "crucial" need to work together on the Strait of Hormuz and easing the impact its closure is having on international shipping. As part of her visit, Cooper co-launched a new Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence (RMSCE), bolstering the UK's cooperation with India on maritime security and resilience to international shocks. This new centre is a key component of the UK's efforts to strengthen its partnership with India in maritime security.

Critical minerals also formed a key part of Cooper's talks in India, where she underlined the UK's commitment to working with partners to create "more diverse and resilient supply chains." Critical minerals are essential to the UK's current and future prosperity, as necessary components in everything from electric vehicles and wind turbines to smart phones. As part of the UK-India Technology Security Initiative, Cooper launched the Critical Mineral's Global Supply Chain Observatory (GSCO), a flagship component that provides a groundbreaking AI tool giving real-time information on global critical mineral flows and identifies supply chain vulnerabilities.

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The GSCO is expected to be supported by a significant investment from India, with a commitment of £1.2 million in funding to establish a satellite observatory campus at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Dhanbad in partnership with the UK's University of Cambridge.

In addition to her visit to India, Cooper also travelled to China, where she met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss global security and economic stability. The UK Foreign Secretary underlined the need for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, urging China to end economic support for Russia's illegal war. She also discussed a range of other foreign and security policy issues, including efforts to achieve an end to the conflict in Sudan and the importance of coordinated international support to respond to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Cooper's visit to China and India highlights the UK's commitment to engaging with major global powers to address pressing global issues. The UK government has made it clear that it cannot insulate itself from global issues through "cancel culture" on foreign policy and not engaging in vital global discussions.

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