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.

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 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.

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.

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 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 to also 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 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.

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.

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…

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.

The global accountancy body – ACCA – is working with the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) to promote international business and trade in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The UKABC-led events – where ACCA is principal sponsor – will see government, business, and trade leaders discuss issues that matter to businesses looking to enter and extend their commercial footprint in the region.

UK Trade Minister signs trade pact designed to boost trade and investment with Thailand and open the country up to British businesses.

The UK has secured the sixth and final ratification required to trigger our accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) before the end of this year. CPTPP is a free trade area spanning five continents and almost 600 million people once the UK joins. Following Peru’s ratification of our deal to join the bloc, the agreement will now officially...

In early August, Ian Gibbons, the Chief Executive of the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), was delighted to once again meet with His Excellency Dato' Zakri Jaafar, High Commissioner of Malaysia to the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland.

After five years of negotiations, the UK and 90 other countries have finalised the E-Commerce Joint Initiative at the World Trade Organization (WTO), which will make trade faster, cheaper, fairer and more secure. It will help British businesses, workers and consumers seize the opportunities of global digital trade, which is estimated by the OECD to be worth around £4 trillion and growing.

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.

From 3-4 July Rino Donosepoetro, Cluster CEO, Standard Chartered Bank Indonesia and ASEAN Markets and UKABC Board Director and Allen Lai, UKABC’s Director-ASEAN, spoke at the Consultative Forum on Post ASEAN Economic Community 2025, hosted by the ASEAN Secretariat and the UN Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The UK’s Senior Economic Official to ASEAN, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Asia Pacific Martin Kent, visited Vientiane, Laos to demonstrate the UK’s continued and deepening economic commitment to ASEAN.

Ian Gibbons, the Chief Executive Officer of the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), recently met with His Excellency Mr Ng Teck Hean, the High Commissioner of Singapore to the United Kingdom. The meeting marked a significant step towards enhancing the bilateral relationship between the UK and ASEAN, with a particular focus on Singapore.

On 28th June 2024, Ambassador Teodoro Locsin Jr. welcomed Mr Ian Gibbons, Chief Executive of the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), to the Philippine Embassy in London. Their meeting focused on enhancing the Philippines-UK bilateral relationship, particularly through bolstering two-way trade and investment. Ambassador Locsin extended an invitation to British businesses, encouraging them to invest in one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia.