UK becomes ASEAN dialogue partner

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The UK has entered into a new partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The partnership, which is the first signed by ASEAN 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, environment, science and technology and education.

Foreign Minister Dominic Raab joined a virtual ceremony with ASEAN Foreign Ministers where they welcomed the UK as an ASEAN dialogue partner.

Since the UK applied to become a Dialogue Partner in June 2020, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has attended two UK-ASEAN ministerial meetings and welcomed the President of ASEAN to the meeting of G7 Foreign Affairs and Development Ministers in May.

ASEAN is an influential group of ten Indo-Pacific member countries. By becoming a dialogue partner, the UK will formalize its relationship with the group, including participating in annual meetings of foreign and economic ministers and other ministerial engagements.

The status of Dialogue partner places the UK at the heart of the Indo-Pacific. The UK will work with ASEAN and its members on key common challenges such as maritime security and transnational crime, boost our economies through trade and strengthen our cooperation on issues such as COVID-19 and climate change.

Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said:

I am delighted that the UK has today officially become a dialogue partner of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc, the first new country in 25 years.

It is a historic moment in the UK’s tilt towards the Indo-Pacific. Our closer ties with ASEAN will help create green jobs, strengthen our security cooperation, promote technological and scientific partnerships, and protect key pillars of international law such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of Justice. the sea.

The new deal will also help the UK deepen its economic ties with ASEAN, which has a combined GDP of $ 3.2 trillion. Total UK-ASEAN trade stood at 32.3 billion in the four quarters through the end of the first quarter of 2021 with huge potential to boost this trade, creating jobs in the country.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said:

This is great news and it shows global Britain in action, forging stronger relationships around the world as an independent trading nation.

Along with joining the CPTPP and agreements with countries like Singapore and Vietnam, this will help open up opportunities for UK businesses in a high-growth region of over 650 million people, enabling them to grow and grow. create jobs across the UK.

British Ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce said:

I am extremely proud that the UK has been accepted as ASEAN’s first new dialogue partner in 25 years. This will lead to more trade, better security cooperation and greater people-to-people ties for the UK and ASEAN, alongside our strong and growing bilateral relationship with the Philippines.

Obtaining this status is a key step in the UK’s Indo-Pacific tilt and can only help the UK and ASEAN member states to work even more closely together on some of the key challenges. global, including climate and COVID.

Dominic Raab has visited South East Asia five times since becoming Minister of Foreign Affairs, demonstrating the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific, as noted in the Integrated Review.

Today’s announcement comes at a time of growing UK defense and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, as the UK Carrier Strike Group, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth , is in the region and has carried out a series of engagements with various ASEAN partners. , with further interactions planned for the fall.

In June, the United Kingdom officially launched accession negotiations with the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership) countries. 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 police body) and supports the ASEAN-Singapore Cyber ​​Security Center of Excellence. The UK also has a $ 6 million joint research program with Singapore on marine debris in South East Asia, an ASEAN 15 million low carbon energy program, a cross-sector project on green finance and energy efficiency, led the Friends of Indonesia Dialogue on Renewable Energy (FIRE), and provides $ 4.2 million in funding to science partnerships between the UK and ASEAN which study the impact of climate change and the transition to clean energy. Other ASEAN dialogue partners are: Australia, Canada, China, European Union, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and United States from America. Media inquiries

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