UK-ASEAN Business Council CEO, Ian Gibbons OBE, is delighted to announce that Siderise has joined the UK‑ASEAN Business Council as a new member.

UKABC was delighted to welcome Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN, back to the UK for a business dialogue and networking reception marking the 5th anniversary of the UK’s Dialogue Partnership with ASEAN.

ASEAN must be inclusive - not only working with big business, but especially for MSMEs and micro enterprises. This was the key message from Joey Concepcion III, ASEAN BAC Chair 2026, at the first Joint Business Council meeting for the year.

UK-ASEAN Business Council’s online dialogue on strengthening UK-ASEAN energy cooperation highlighted how the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) is moving from long-term vision to near-term execution, with opportunities for UK businesses across sectors.

Brunei Darussalam is advancing a carefully sequenced economic transformation - strengthening fiscal resilience, accelerating diversification, and pursuing a pragmatic energy transition aligned with long-term sustainability. As the country broadens its economic base beyond upstream hydrocarbons, there is a strong policy focus on downstream and value-added activities, alongside the development of new growth sectors, modern infrastructure, and future-ready human capital.

UKABC Chief Executive, Ian Gibbons OBE, and Chief Operating Officer, Ben Raby, visited the Royal Cambodia Embassy to meet the Cambodian Ambassador to the UK, H.E. Tuot Panha.

2025 has been a landmark year for the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), marked by strengthened trade relationships, deeper policy engagement, and a sustained programme of high-impact activity across the UK and Southeast Asia.

British pharmaceutical companies are set to gain up to £250 million over the next five years as part of a Vietnamese law change that makes it easier to sell UK-made medicines to the country.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy delivered a speech on diplomacy in the digital age whilst in Singapore.

Britain will deepen relations with countries across the Indo-Pacific to bring together UK and Southeast Asian innovation and technology to drive economic growth and create new business opportunities at key meetings in Malaysia today (Friday, 11 July).

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Kingdom today officially launched the ASEAN-UK Health Security Partnership Programme (HSP), a five-year programme, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as a major new initiative aimed at strengthening Southeast Asia’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to health threats.

As featured in the newly released Investing in ASEAN 2025|2026 publication, UKABC Chair, The Rt Hon. the Lord Vaizey of Didcot, shares his perspective on the UK’s growing strategic partnership with ASEAN. In his op-ed, Lord Vaizey outlines the economic opportunities for UK businesses across the region and highlights the significance of deepening digital, trade, and sustainability cooperation.

The UK-ASEAN Business Council was delighted to host Matt Western MP, UK Trade Envoy to Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, on 4 June for an exclusive UKABC partner briefing. This was the second in our series of dialogues with UK Trade Envoys following our initial session with Naz Shah MP.

Lord Vaizey, Ian Gibbons, and Ben Raby attended a lunch discussion hosted by Cheong Boon Png, Chair of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), in London this week. We were delighted that UKABC partners, including Arup, AstraZeneca, KPMG, Mott MacDonald, Prudential plc and Standard Chartered were able to join us for the opportunity to engage in discussions and explore broader regional ASEAN collaboration amidst current economic trends and challenges. BAE Systems, Element Materials Technology, and Plexal were also present.

UKABC was delighted to work alongside the UK Department for Business and Trade and the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry to host a briefing and reception to celebrate the inaugural UK-Philippines Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO).

Over 120 senior industry and government figures from across ASEAN and the UK gathered in person for the UK-ASEAN Business Forum 2025 – UKABC’s annual flagship event in support of UK-ASEAN bilateral trade, investment, and government engagement.

Ian Gibbons OBE, the Chief Executive of UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), recently met with His Excellency, Mr. Do Minh Hung, Vietnam Ambassador to the United Kingdom to discuss further deepening Vietnam’s bilateral ties with the UK.

Minister for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West recently visited Indonesia with a focus on green growth and for meetings with the permanent representatives to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as the UK enters its fourth year as an ASEAN Dialogue Partner. The Minister also travelled to Timor-Leste to reaffirm UK support for the country’s application to join ASEAN.

Allen Lai, Director-ASEAN of the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), recently participated in the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) meeting with the Joint Business Councils (JBCs) in Penang, where Malaysia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN-BAC 2025 was officially launched.

On Thursday 16 January, the UK and Malaysia held the inaugural ministerial-led Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting. The Joint Statement following the meeting between The UK Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security, Douglas Alexander MP, and Malaysian Minister for Investment, Trade and Industry, Tengku Zafrul Aziz can be read here.