- Foreign Secretary arrives in Vietnam ahead of the UK
launching accession talks to join trans-Pacific trading bloc
The Foreign Secretary, , arrived in Hanoi today (Monday 21 June) ahead of a
three-day visit with high-level meetings in Vietnam, Cambodia and
Singapore focussing on trade, defence and security.
Tomorrow the UK will formally launch accession negotiations with
CPTPP nations (Tuesday 22 June), helping Britain further engage
with some of the world’s biggest economies. CPTPP members
currently have a combined GDP of £9 trillion, a value which is
expected to grow rapidly in the next few years.
This is Dominic Raab’s fifth visit to South East Asia since
becoming Foreign Secretary, demonstrating the growing importance
of the Indo-Pacific, as set out in the UK’s Integrated Review.
The visit also comes at a time of growing defence and security
cooperation with the region, as the UK’s Carrier Strike Group led
by the HMS Queen Elizabeth, makes its maiden visit to the region.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Foreign Secretary, , said:
“The UK is committed to strengthening our friendship across
the Indo-Pacific.
“We are demonstrating this through our commitment to join
CPTPP, partner with ASEAN and invest more energy, time and effort
in our bilateral relations in the region.”
While in Vietnam, the Foreign Secretary will deliver opening
remarks at the 5th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) on the UK’s
ambitions for its Indo-Pacific tilt to an audience of
representatives from more than 50 countries. He will meet
Vietnamese leaders, including President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Deputy
Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son
to discuss the implementation of the UK-Vietnam Strategic
Partnership Agreement, in addition to subjects such as global
health security, climate change and combatting serious organised
crime.
will then travel to Cambodia to meet Foreign Minister
Prak Sokhonn to set out our ambition for the UK bid for ‘ASEAN
Dialogue Partnership’ status ahead of Cambodia taking up the
chair of ASEAN. This status would give the UK the closest form of
relationship with ASEAN. This will be the first Foreign Secretary
visit to Cambodia since the British Embassy was reopened 30 years
ago.
The visit will finish in Singapore, with a meeting with Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong to discuss geo-political security and
climate change, as well as the international response to Covid.
The Foreign Secretary will also meet Foreign Minister Vivian
Balakrishnan and address British and Singaporean business leaders
from across Asia Pacific, highlighting the economic and strategic
benefits of CPTPP and the UK’s wider trade and foreign policy
priorities for the region.
