British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reiterated the UK's commitment to a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India. He said that we are fully committed to enhance relations with the Indo-Pacific region and as part of this, we are considering bringing new FTAs ​​with India. In a speech during a formal banquet hosted by the Lord Mayor of London on Monday night, Rishi Sunak reflected on his legacy and said he remains committed to promoting British values ​​of "freedom and openness" around the world. It was his first major foreign policy speech since taking office at 10 Downing Street last month.

He also reiterated his commitment to do things differently in the case of China. He said it was a systemic challenge to British values ​​and interests. Sunak said that before joining politics, he had invested in businesses around the world and now to have this opportunity in the Indo-Pacific region is a big deal.

He said that by 2050, the Indo-Pacific will provide more than half of global growth, compared to just a quarter for Europe and North America combined. That's why we're joining the Trans-Pacific Trade Deal. CPTPP is working on a new FTA with India and a similar agreement will be signed with Indonesia.

He said that like many others my grandparents came to Britain via East Africa and the Indian subcontinent and lived here. In recent years we have welcomed thousands of people from Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Ukraine. We are a country that stands by its values, that protects democracy not just by words but also by actions.

On China, Sunak said he wanted to "evolve" the UK's approach. He distanced his government from the slogan used by the previous Conservative Party-led government seven years ago when describing UK-China bilateral relations.

He cautioned that "it is now clear that the so-called golden age is over, with the naïve idea that trade will lead to social and political reform. So we must not rely on Cold War rhetoric". We believe that China poses a systemic challenge to our values ​​and interests, a challenge that grows more acute as it moves toward ever greater authoritarianism.