PRESS RELEASE : Economic ties with Southeast Asia strengthened as Foreign Secretary makes first visit to Indo-Pacific [July 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 July 2024.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrives in Laos for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

• David Lammy will join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting this week to advance UK economic, climate and health partnerships
• the visit will strengthen ties with some of the world’s fastest growing economies
• this comes as part of the government’s mission to unlock economic growth and create jobs in the UK and across the Indo-Pacific region

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 provide opportunities for green investments from the UK.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy 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.