As ASEAN grows to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2030, it is experiencing a demographic shift to a younger population, an expanding middle class and rapid adoption of cutting-edge technology. The UK-ASEAN Business Council is perfectly positioned to be your partner in this growing ASEAN opportunity.
The UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) is an independent partner to UK and ASEAN governments, linking the UK private sector, the UK government and the public and private sectors of ASEAN, facilitating dialogue on policy and shared global challenges to grow two-way trade and investment between the UK and ASEAN.
As a formal member of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council’s Joint Business Council, the UKABC is an active partner in key issues facing the region and is the official representative of UK business in the annual ASEAN Economic Ministers – UK Consultative Meeting. Click here to watch Rino Donosepoetro, Board Director UKABC, outline UKABC’s three key messages presented at the 2024 ASEAN Economic Ministers meeting.
Through its network and strength of partnerships, UKABC facilitates the hosting of roundtables for senior ASEAN visitors including the Secretary-General of ASEAN in London and an annual UK-ASEAN Business Forum with ASEAN and UK Ministers. This deep relationship with business also enables UKABC to lead a business delegation to the annual ASEAN Business and Investment Summit.
Latest News
£2 billion boost to growth as UK joins major trade group
The UK has today officially joined CPTPP as a fully-fledged member, potentially boosting the UK economy by £2 billion a year in the long run. CPTPP is a major trade bloc whose members - Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, and now the UK – have a combined GDP of £12 trillion.
Enhancing ASEAN-UK Connectivity for a Prosperous and Sustainable Future
Mr. Martin Kent and Ambassador Sarah Tiffin discuss how the UK and ASEAN are forging greater economic and people-to-people ties. ASEAN is an engine room of global growth. It is home to around 680 million people and fast-growing, innovative economies. The region is collectively equivalent to the fifth-largest economy in the world, according to the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook for October.
UKABC’s Dialogue with Martin Kent, HMTC for Asia Pacific and an update on CPTPP’s Entry into Force from David Johnstone, Head of FTA Utilisation at the Department for Business and Trade
UKABC was delighted to host HMTC Martin Kent and David Johnstone from the Department for Business and Trade for a tour de force covering updates on ASEAN and the wider Asia Pacific region from both a bilateral and wider regional political and commercial perspective.
UK Trade Mission to Brunei Darussalam
Following a visit earlier this year by Martin Kent, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Asia Pacific, the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) was pleased to work in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade and The British High Commission in Brunei to deliver the first-ever UK Trade Mission to Brunei Darussalam. 12 companies joined us on the mission which ran from 25-27 November 2024.
Indonesian Investment Forum 2024 and UKABC Lunch with H.E. Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, the Indonesian Minister of Investment and Dominic Jermey, His Majesty’s Ambassador to Indonesia, London, 22 November
The UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) was delighted to support the successful Indonesian Investment Forum (IIF) at the Raffles Hotel London. This annual event was co-hosted by the Indonesian Ministry of Investment and Downstream Industry (BPKM) through the Indonesian Investment Promotion Centre (IIPC) and the Indonesian Embassy in London.
UKABC Roundtable with The Philippine Government
UKABC was honoured to host a high-level delegation from the Philippine Government including Secretaries leading the Departments of Finance, Energy and Budget and Management. On this occasion, we were delighted also to be joined by the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs and the Deputy Governor of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Philippines Central Bank).
UKABC’s Chair Lord Vaizey leads high-profile UK business delegation and programme to the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) Vientiane, Laos, 8-11 October
UKABC’s Chair, Lord Vaizey of Didcot, and Chief Executive, Ian Gibbons led the UK’s business delegation and UK business programme during the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) and Outlook on the Indo-Pacific Forum in Vientiane, Laos from the 8-11 October.
Lord Vaizey, Chair of the UK-ASEAN Business Council, shares his reflections from attending the ASEAN Business Investment Summit in Vientiane, Laos from 8-11 October
ASEAN is one of the fastest-growing parts of the global economy, with 700 million people, and many nations with strong and resilient economies. There is a real appetite to engage with the UK. As we rightly pivot back to better relations with the EU, we mustn’t lose sight of our need to continually engage with ASEAN…
The ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, Vientiane, Friday 11 October
Allen Lai, UKABC’s Director – ASEAN, expertly chaired an insightful panel discussion focused on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific highlighting ASEAN Centrality. This panel featured Rhiannon Harries, UK Deputy Trade Commissioner for ASEAN at the Department for Business and Trade, Paul Thoppil, Canada’s Indo-Pacific Trade Representative, Nicholas Moore AO, Australia’s Special Trade Envoy for Southeast Asia and Bernardino Vega, ASEAN BAC Indonesia Alternative Chair.
UAE-UK Business Council and UK-ASEAN Business Council joint Roundtable to discuss the UAE-ASEAN trade corridor and the opportunities this presents for UK businesses
UKABC was delighted to break new ground in partnership with the UAE-UK Business Council and deliver a joint roundtable to discuss the UAE-ASEAN trade corridor and the opportunities this presents for UK businesses.
Recent Event Highlights
Through its network and strength of partnerships, UKABC facilitates the hosting of roundtables for senior ASEAN visitors including the Secretary-General of ASEAN in London and an annual UK-ASEAN Business Forum with ASEAN and UK Ministers. This deep relationship with business also enables UKABC to lead a business delegation to the annual ASEAN Business and Investment Summit.
Upcoming Events
If you’re unable to view the UK-ASEAN Business Council’s timeline below, log into X (Twitter) and follow us at @UKASEAN for daily social media updates on X (Twitter) and here on our website.
