ASEAN and UK Reaffirm Growing Partnership

Secretary-General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Kao Kim Hourn paid a working visit to the United Kingdom (UK) on 1-3 November 2023.

IDXChannel - Secretary-General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Kao Kim Hourn paid a working visit to the United Kingdom (UK) on 1-3 November 2023.

The visit reaffirmed ASEAN and the UK’s growing partnership since the UK became an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 2021. 

The visit also highlighted ASEAN-UK cooperation on all four priority areas of the ASEAN Outlook on the IndoPacific: connectivity; maritime cooperation; economic cooperation; and issues core to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including education, health and climate.

"This partnership spans political-security, economic, sociocultural and other priorities as outlined in the ASEAN-UK Plan of Action (2022-2026) and the ASEAN Community Vision," the regional bloc said in a media release.

"The UK’s Dialogue Partnership with ASEAN strengthens and deepens the longstanding relationships between the UK and the region," the bloc stated.

Throughout his visit, the UK reaffirmed to the Secretary-General its commitment to working withASEAN partners in support of the region’s peace, stability and economic growth, and its respect for ASEAN Centrality as the underlying principle for promoting cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and ASEAN-led mechanisms as platforms for cooperation.

The Secretary-General of ASEAN and Deputy Prime Minister of the UK Oliver Dowden discussed global challenges such as cyber security and highlighted a mutual ambition for further collaboration.

The Secretary-General of ASEAN and Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan discussed the UK’s support for maritime cooperation in Southeast Asia. They discussed the new ASEAN-UK Maritime Programme in support of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and the ASEAN Maritime Outlook. This new capacity-building programme will boost regional resilience and support ASEAN Member States to respond to maritime cooperation challenges. 

Minister Trevelyan raised the UK’s strong interest in engaging with ASEAN’s wider regional defence and security architecture, as demonstrated by its applications to join the ASEAN Regional Forum and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus.

The visit also highlighted the deep economic ties between the UK and ASEAN, a trading relationship worth £47.5 billion. The Secretary-General of ASEAN engaged with senior UK business leaders, including at a UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) roundtable, and at a discussion with senior financial services leaders in the City of London. 

During the latter, the Secretary-General of ASEAN noted the proposal for an ASEAN-UK Collaboration on Financial Services, a package to be delivered through the private sector to strengthen ASEAN’s regional market infrastructure, support ASEAN’s financial literacy, and promote access to finance for ASEAN Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs). (WHY)