The UK will bolster economic cooperation with Southeast Asian
countries as the Foreign Secretary arrives in Laos today (25
July) for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting.
In Vientiane, the Foreign Secretary will position the UK as a key
partner to the Indo-Pacific region by forging closer
collaboration on areas including trade, climate change and health
security. Marking his first official visit to the region, the
summit will highlight this Government's plan to strengthen
Britain's influence with the global powers of tomorrow.
With a combined population of almost 700 million people and the
ASEAN economy set to be the fourth largest in the world by 2030,
the Foreign Secretary will use his visit to drive forward the
UK's economic cooperation with ASEAN and its Member States.
Britain is a proud trading nation - forging closer ties with this
region is vital for opening opportunities for British businesses
to tap into dynamic markets which are growing at pace. This all
forms part of the Government's mission to boost prosperity and
deliver more jobs at home to help achieve the highest
sustained growth in the G7.
As part of the Government's mission to regain the UK's leadership
on development, the Foreign Secretary will announce a £25 million
UK-ASEAN partnership to tackle the world's most pressing global
health challenges. The fund will help detect and prevent future
diseases and boost health security within the region and also at
home.
The meeting is also an opportunity to reaffirm the UK's position
as a climate leader, with a new UK-ASEAN Green Transition Fund
worth up to £40 million to help boost green growth and leverage
UK expertise to support countries at the forefront of the climate
crisis. The funding will help unlock green growth for ASEAN
businesses and in turn open new opportunities for UK firms and
exporters.
Foreign Secretary, said:
“ASEAN is home to almost 700 million people and will be the
fourth largest economy by 2030. Boosting our cooperation with the
Indo-Pacific is crucial for Britain's future economic success,
creating more jobs and opportunity on both sides of the
world.
“We will secure prosperity for the British people in a way
that drives growth at home, protects the environment and
reinforces Britain's standing on the global stage.”
The Foreign Secretary's visit also provides an opportunity to
underscore the Government's commitment to security in the
Indo-Pacific, and show that it stands steadfast with our ASEAN
partners in protecting regional stability.
In the margins of the meeting, the Foreign Secretary will hold
bilaterals with his counterparts from ASEAN's Member States, as
well as other countries in the region such as Japan and New
Zealand. He will use these opportunities to underline the UK's
commitment to working with them on a broad spectrum of issues
including security, the economy, the climate crisis and
education.
ASEAN follows a visit this week to India, where the Foreign
Secretary agreed with counterparts to step up cooperation through
a number of new joint schemes, including a UK-India Technology
Security Initiative.This summer, the UK will launch a new
Chevening ASEAN Scholarship Programme, further strengthening our
education ties by bringing some of ASEANs best minds to the UK.
The UK became an ASEAN Dialogue Partner
in 2021, which gave the UK a seat at the table to cooperate more
closely with countries in the region. In 2022, the UK and ASEAN agreed a
joint Plan of Action setting out a roadmap for cooperation on
areas of joint interest.
NOTES TO EDITORS :
- ASEAN-UK programmes have scope to deliver in all ASEAN member
states, including Myanmar. No funding is provided to the Myanmar
Armed Forces, UK sanctioned individuals or entities.
