- Strengthened ties with Southeast Asia open up new trade and security opportunities to create jobs and boost growth in the UK
- Free and open Indo-Pacific central to Plan for Change – delivering growth and opportunities for British businesses across the country.
- UK to participate in ASEAN Regional Forum for first time – an important forum for security dialogue with one of the fastest growing regional economies
Britain will deepen relations with countries across the Indo-Pacific to bring together UK and Southeast Asian innovation and technology to drive economic growth and create new business opportunities at key meetings in Malaysia today (Friday 11 July).
Stepping up cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on regional security, the visit will see the Foreign Secretary participate in the region’s main security forum– the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) – for the first time as Guest of Chair. The UK aims to become a permanent member of the ARF, in recognition of the fact that the greatest threats to ASEAN’s security also impact UK national security, from instability driven by climate change to risk of conflict.
These strengthened security ties demonstrate the government’s Plan for Change in practice – delivering on the commitment to strengthen national security for working people.
The UK will also strengthen cooperation with ASEAN nations to tackle transnational crime including scam centres, illicit finance and illegal migration – protecting our citizens from criminals and the shared threats we face. This builds on the ASEAN-UK Plan of Action as we approach the fifth anniversary of our Dialogue Partnership.
Secure and resilient growth depends on working with Indo-Pacific partners to preserve a stable balance of power, manage conflicts and protect our people from threats such as cyber scams and illicit finance. Strengthening our cooperation builds on recent success in strengthening ties with key allies and partners, and ensuring the UK’s national security.
Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said:
There is enormous economic potential in the Indo-Pacific with over 50% of the world’s population and 40% of global GDP. This government is breaking down barriers between businesses in the UK and Southeast Asia to tap into this market.
We are working together to tackle key threats to our mutual prosperity – illegal migration, illicit finance and scam centres. Engaging with our partners on these enemies of growth protects our people and their hard-earned money.
We want to work with partners like Singapore to seize the benefits of AI and technology and manage the risks – supporting the delivery of the ASEAN Community’s Vision 2045 and the UK’s Plan for Change.
Southeast Asia is already the fifth largest economy in the world, home to almost 700 million people, half of whom are under 30. The UK’s accession last December to CPTPP, one of the world’s biggest trade blocs, marked a breakthrough in connecting the UK to a group of economies now worth £11.7 trillion, putting money into UK businesses up and down the country.
On top of attending the ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the Foreign Secretary will also meet the Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan to reinforce the shared ambition to elevate the relationship between the UK and Malaysia to a Strategic Partnership, particularly in the areas of education, energy, defence and trade which will help generate growth.
Investment into clean, renewable energy will reduce British people’s energy bills and enshrine climate resilience and energy security. Catalysing the clean energy transformation, the Foreign Secretary, alongside Deputy Prime Minister Gan, will announce a landmark pledge of up to £70 million into Singapore’s Financing Asia’s Transition Partnership (FAST-P), advancing the UK and Singapore’s joint efforts to accelerate sustainable infrastructure and investment across Southeast Asia. The UK’s funding, to be delivered through British Investment International’s (BII), will support low-carbon energy projects and innovative business models, protecting energy security and insulating UK billpayers.
