The UK has agreed a new partnership with the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The partnership, which is the
first ASEAN has agreed in 25 years, will lead to closer
cooperation between the UK and the region on a range of issues
such as trade, investment, climate change, the environment,
science and technology, and education.
Foreign Secretary joined a virtual ceremony with ASEAN Foreign Ministers
where they welcomed the UK as an ASEAN ‘Dialogue Partner’. Since
the UK submitted its application to become a Dialogue Partner in
June 2020, the Foreign Secretary has attended two UK-ASEAN
Ministerial Meetings and hosted the ASEAN Chair at the G7 Foreign
& Development Ministers meeting in May.
ASEAN is an influential group of ten member countries in the
Indo-Pacific. By becoming a Dialogue Partner the UK will
formalise its relations with the group - including through
attending annual Foreign and Economic Ministers meetings along
with other Ministerial engagements.
Dialogue Partner status puts the UK at the heart of the
Indo-Pacific. The UK will work with ASEAN and its members on key
shared challenges such as maritime security and transnational
crime, boost our economies through trade, and strengthen our
cooperation on issues such COVID-19 and climate change.
Foreign Secretary, said:
“I am delighted that the UK has, today, formally become a
Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) bloc – the first new country in 25 years.”
“This is a landmark moment in the UK’s tilt towards the Indo
Pacific. Our closer ties with ASEAN will help create green jobs,
reinforce our security cooperation, promote tech and science
partnerships, and safeguard key pillars of international law like
the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
The new agreement will also help the UK to deepen economic links
with ASEAN, which has a combined GDP of $3.2 trillion. Total
trade between the UK and ASEAN was £32.3 billion in the four
quarters to the end of Q1 2021 with huge potential to boost this
trade, creating jobs at home.
International Trade Secretary,
said:
“This is great news and shows Global Britain in action, forging
stronger relationships around the world as an independent trading
nation.
"Along with CPTPP accession and deals with countries like
Singapore and Vietnam, this will help unlock opportunities for
British businesses in a high-growth region of more than 650
million people, allowing them to expand and create jobs across
the UK."
has visited Southeast Asia five times since becoming
Foreign Secretary, demonstrating the growing importance of the
Indo-Pacific, as set out in the Integrated Review.
Today’s announcement comes at a time of growing UK defence and
security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, as the UK’s Carrier
Strike Group, led by the HMS Queen Elizabeth, is in the region
and has completed a series of engagements with a range of ASEAN
partners, with further interactions planned in the autumn.
In June, the UK formally launched accession negotiations with the
CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific
Partnership) nations. The CPTPP is one of the largest free trade
areas in the world, accounting for 13% of global GDP in 2019.
Four ASEAN states – Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei – are
members of the CPTPP.
Notes to editors
- The UK is already a Dialogue Partner of ASEANAPOL (the
regional policing body), and supports the ASEAN-Singapore Cyber
Security Centre of Excellence.
- The UK also has a £6m joint research programme with Singapore
on marine debris in Southeast Asia, a £15m ASEAN Low Carbon
Energy programme, a cross-sectoral project on green finance and
energy efficiency, led the Friends of Indonesia Renewable Energy
(FIRE) Dialogue, and provides £4.2m funding for UK-ASEAN science
partnerships that research the impact of climate change and the
transition to clean energy.
- The other ASEAN Dialogue Partners are: Australia, Canada,
China, European Union, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New
Zealand, Russia and the United States of America.
