The UK's new security agreement with the US and Australia will make it safer and could create hundreds of new jobs, the new foreign secretary has said.
The pact, known as Aukus, will see Australia being given the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines.
Liz Truss said it showed the UK's readiness to be "hard-headed" in defending its interests.
But France, whose own submarine deal with Australia was thwarted as a result, has criticised the agreement.
It has recalled its ambassadors in the US and Australia for consultations in response, while China has accused the three powers of having a "Cold War mentality".
The alliance - widely seen as an effort to counter China's influence in the contested South China Sea - was announced by US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison on Wednesday.
Ms Truss said the partnership showed the UK's commitment to stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
She wrote: "Freedoms need to be defended, so we are also building strong security ties around the world.
"This is about more than foreign policy in the abstract, but delivering for people across the UK and beyond by partnering with like-minded countries to build coalitions based on shared values and shared interests."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58613195