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.

On Friday, 28th June, UKABC was delighted to support KPMG’s and DBT’s UK-Cambodia Trade and Investment Conference. This conference marked the first official Cambodian trade and investment mission to the UK and was led by H.E. Dr. Sok Siphana, Senior Minister for Trade and Investment of the Royal Government of Cambodia.

Malaysia’s Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) hosted an informative and interactive tech industry roundtable to discuss investment opportunities in Malaysia.

In the margins of the ASEAN Future of Fintech Forum in London, Lord Ed Vaizey, Chair UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), Ian Gibbons, UKABC’s Chief Executive and Ben Raby, UKABC’s COO, held constructive and collaborative discussions with Mr Agusman, Member of the Board of Commissioners of Indonesia’s FSA (OJK) and Bernardino Vega, Vice Chair of the Indonesia Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KADIN).

Lord Ed Vaizey, Chair of the UK-ASEAN Business Council met with Hon. Gobind Singh Deo MP, Minister for Digital of Malaysia at Battersea Power Station for an open and informed discussion on AI regulation and safety, managing cyber security risks and the opportunities from the UK and global space sector growth.

The ASEAN Future of Fintech Forum co-hosted by KADIN Indonesia and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, in collaboration with Equatorise, Indonesia’s FSA (OJK) and the UK Government and with support from the UK-ASEAN Business Council attracted an audience of over 100 business leaders.

Christabel Koh and Desmond Tan are the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) IP Attachés for Southeast Asia. Here they talk about their role. Subscribe to hear more in a series of chats with their overseas team on LinkedIn.

Joining CPTPP – which will account for 15% of global GDP with the UK included – means over 99% of current UK goods exports to CPTPP members will be eligible for tariff-free trade. Encompassing 500 million consumers in some of the world’s largest current and future economies, the potential for increased trade is huge.

This award acknowledges the global growth THE has demonstrated as it expands its footprint as a leading higher education business working with universities, organisations and governments around the world.

Ian Gibbons, Chief Executive Officer of the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC), recently returned from a trip to Singapore encouraged by positive insights on the region's economic landscape. In a LinkedIn post, Ian highlighted the talent and dynamism of Singapore and the broader ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region and emphasised UKABC's engagement with key organisations including The ASEAN Secretariat and ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) to drive economic growth and investment opportunities.

The UK Mission to ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat launched the ASEAN-UK Economic Integration Programme (EIP) in Jakarta to foster economic growth in the region.

The UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) extends thanks to all participants for their contributions to the success of the recent UK-ASEAN Business Forum. Held on Tuesday 26th March 2024, the event featured insightful discussions on key topics including digital transformation, infrastructure connectivity, green finance, economic integration, people mobility, and climate change resilience.