PRESS RELEASE : Growth, security and climate on the agenda as Minister visits Singapore [September 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 September 2024.

UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Catherine West, begins her first visit to southeast Asia in Singapore.

• Deepening economic ties and climate collaboration focus on UK Indo-Pacific Minister’s first Southeast Asia visit
• Minister West will set out the new UK government’s approach to foreign policy, growth and climate at the Milken Institute Asia Summit 2024 with government and business leaders
• Speaking to a meeting of Singapore-based semiconductor firms, the Minister will highlight the link between resilient supply chains and economic growth

Securing sustainable economic growth, resilient supply chains and climate action are at the forefront as UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West begins her first visit to southeast Asia today (17 September).

In Singapore, Minister West will join government and industry leaders from across the region at influential policy forum the Milken Institute Asia Summit, where she will set out the new UK government’s ambition to work with partners in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific to address global challenges and support economic growth. This includes through the UK-Singapore Strategic Partnership, launched in September 2023, which is deepening cooperation on trade and investment, defence and security and science and tech.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Minister West said:

My message to Singapore and partners in the Indo-Pacific is this: the UK is open for business. We know that our relationships in this region are essential to our future prosperity.

Secure economic growth relies on us working with partners to tackle the greatest challenges of this century, including the climate crisis and other threats to global security – so that is exactly what this government will do.

Aligning with Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s pledge to build a Global Clean Power Alliance to tackle the pressing climate crisis, the Minister will visit British-built Marina Barrage, an example of UK-supported infrastructure mitigating the impact of climate change. Attending the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association Summit, she will set out the government’s ambition to increase UK-Singapore cooperation on the research and development of critical tech including AI and quantum computing.

Following her visit to Singapore, Minister West will travel to Thailand on 19-20 September for discussions with the new Thai government.

Notes to editors

• The Marina Barrage sits across the Marina Channel and was used to create Singapore’s 15th freshwater reservoir. The barrage was designed by UK civil engineering firm Binnies and the reservoir by British engineers Mott MacDonald.