David Lammy – 2024 Speech at ASEAN Foreign Minister’s Meeting in Laos

The speech made by David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, in Laos on 26 July 2024.

Thank you, Your Excellency Dato Erywan, for your kind words and all your work as UK Country Coordinator. And thank you, Deputy Prime Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, for hosting us in your beautiful country.

As Foreign Secretary, I have a clear mission: reconnecting Britain with the world. Joining you at the end of only my third week in office shows my long-term commitment to this relationship.

Britain’s new government recognises that the world is changing rapidly. That we are all stronger when we work together. And that in the Indo-Pacific in particular, ASEAN has a distinct and important voice, working to affirm ASEAN’s centrality for over 50 years.

So I am delighted that Britain is now ASEAN’s 11th Dialogue Partner. We have made good progress on over 80% of our Plan of Action commitments, and we are showing a genuine spirit of partnership together.

Take health. COVID sharply illustrated how interconnected the world has become. Today, UK experts have been involved in drafting the ASEAN One Health Plan. And I just launched a new Health Security Partnership Programme, so that together, we can prevent, detect and address health threats of the future.

Our first joint statement shows our desire to take that spirit of partnership further.

Let me highlight 3 areas where I see potential to do more.

First, security. You founded ASEAN during the Cold War. Today, geopolitical rivalry is again on the rise. From Ukraine to Gaza, there are more active conflicts than at any time since 1945. We cannot treat these conflicts in isolation – prosperity and stability in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific are indivisible.

And so Britain is committed to working with you to promote peace and security in this region and beyond. By supporting ASEAN’s Five Point Consensus on Myanmar. And seeking to join the ASEAN Regional Forum and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus.

Second, economic growth. Our trading relationship is worth almost £50 billion.

The UK is a top 10 investor in southeast Asia and the region’s third largest partner in financial services. If ASEAN were a single nation – and don’t worry, I recognise this disguises the great diversity of your membership – you would be Britain’s eighth biggest trading partner.

We can deepen those ties, creating economic opportunities for all.

Third, climate. Our new government is determined to be back at the forefront of climate action. We will take more action at home, and deepen partnerships abroad, including through our planned ASEAN-UK Green Transition Fund.

Together, we need to seize the opportunities of the clean energy transition.

It’s vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals – one of your priorities in the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and to building more resilient economies on a liveable planet.

Today is about dialogue. So I want to hear your priorities.

Our goal must be to become even more closely connected. So that we can meet the challenges of this rapidly changing world.