LONDON: British-based diplomatic posts for key Indo-Pacific countries such as India, Pakistan and China have been reduced by up to 50% in recent years, a new government figures showed.
Staff at embassies and consulates in Pakistan, China, and India have all been declining over the past seven years despite being recognised as important nations to strengthen connections with during the future ten years. The report states that the Pakistan embassy and consulate employed between 110 and 119 people from the British Foreign Office.
The number of British-based Foreign Office employees in India over the previous seven years decreased from 70–79 to 40–49 throughout the same time period. The data cited by the Guardian was provided by David Rutley, a minister in the Foreign Office, in answer to written parliamentary inquiries from Labour front-runner Catherine West. The data also revealed a decline in the number of ministers' visits to these nations.
With certain nations being visited more than once a year, the Foreign Office and international development department made 37 ministerial tours to the Indo-Pacific region in 2018. However, just 12 ministerial trips were documented in 2022, which was less than a third of the previous total. These figures do not provide a "accurate picture" of Britain's involvement in the Indo-Pacific, a Foreign Office official said.
It was also reported that Covid and the way the UK uses its foreign development funds are both contributing factors in the decrease in the number of UK-based employees in China and India.The reports add that there was an increase of 16.4% in trade with the Indo-Pacific year over year from autumn 2021 to 2022, citing evidence of the UK's expanding influence in the region.
Global Investors Summit garners 6 lakh plus jobs: Andhra CM
India to face Australia in summit clash at The Oval on June 7