Policy paper

UK-ASEAN factsheet

Published 26 July 2024

1. ASEAN

• the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded in 1967. ASEAN’s founding members agreed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in 1976
• ASEAN brings together 10 Member States: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Timor-Leste has applied to become ASEAN’s 11th Member State
• the ASEAN Community has 3 pillars covering Political-Security, Economic and Socio-Cultural issues
• ASEAN’s 10 Member States have a combined GDP of $3.6 trillion and average GDP growth of over 5%. As a bloc ASEAN is already the world’s 5th largest economy and is on track to be 4th largest by 2030

2. ASEAN-UK partnership

• in 2012, the UK acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), a peace treaty between the founding members of ASEAN which has attracted growing international support
• in November 2019, we opened the UK mission to ASEAN and welcomed the first UK Ambassador to ASEAN. The UK has Embassies or High Commissions in all 10 ASEAN Member States
• on 5 August 2021, the UK became an ASEAN Dialogue Partner, the first new Dialogue Partner in 25 years
• in September 2021, the UK attended the first ASEAN Economic Ministers-UK Consultation, the first Ministerial meeting since becoming a Dialogue Partner. At this meeting, we agreed the ASEAN-UK Joint Ministerial Declaration on Future Economic Cooperation. ASEAN-UK have held subsequent senior official and Ministerial meetings in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to welcome progress on economic cooperation
• on 4 August 2022, we agreed our first 5-year ASEAN-UK Plan of Action outlining our cooperation with ASEAN across Political and Security, Economic and Socio-Cultural issues
• the UK is a major development partner for Southeast Asia, investing more than £175 million of total Official Development Assistance in ASEAN in 2022
• to support the Plan of Action we have developed 5 new ASEAN-UK development programmes on green transition, economic integration, health security, education for girls and marginalised groups, and women, peace and security
• in November 2023 the Secretary-General of ASEAN, HE Dr Kao Kim Hourn, visited the UK – his first overseas visit outside Asia as Secretary General
• in March 2024 the UK hosted the third UK-ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting in London, noting substantial progress made against the Plan of Action
• in July 2024, the Foreign Secretary visited Laos to join the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetings to discuss the progress of ASEAN-UK cooperation across growth, security and shared global challenges including climate change

3. Political and security cooperation

3.1 Defence

• the UK engages with ASEAN Member States across a broad range of defence areas, from capacity building in peacekeeping, military medicine and maritime cooperation to undertaking bilateral and multilateral joint exercises
• since becoming a Dialogue Partner in 2021, the UK has convened regional meetings such as the jointly sponsored Regional Jungle Warfare Symposium in Brunei Darussalam. We have also hosted students from ASEAN Member States on world-leading professional military education courses in the UK to support capacity building and knowledge sharing across the region
• in 2022, the UK was accepted into the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) Expert Working Group Observership Programme, with an invitation to observe the ADMM+ Expert Working Groups on Peace Keeping Operations and Military Medicine
• in 2023 the UK applied for full membership of the ADMM+

3.2 Maritime cooperation

• the UK has increased maritime cooperation with ASEAN and its member states with a focus on issues such as maritime domain awareness, climate-related maritime issues and Law of the Sea training. Through this activity we aim to build regional resilience in responding to maritime challenges and support implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and ASEAN Maritime Outlook (AMO)
• since 2021, we have permanently deployed 2 Offshore Patrol Vessels (HMS TAMAR and HMS SPEY) to the Indo-Pacific, working with allies and partners throughout the region

3.3 Security

• the UK works across the region with ASEAN partners: sharing experiences and building capability for Southeast Asian law enforcement in areas of national, regional and international joint interest
• the UK’s National Crime Agency deploys liaison officers to the region providing coverage across Southeast Asia
• we work with ASEAN partners to tackle the full range of serious organised crime threats including illicit financing and money laundering, online fraud and other cybercrime, terrorism, corruption, modern slavery, human trafficking and child sexual exploitation and abuse
• the National Crime Agency has been a Dialogue Partner of the ASEAN Chiefs of National Police (ASEANAPOL) network since September 2019 and is actively engaged
• in July 2023, we announced a new programme, worth over £3 million, on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) at the ASEAN WPS Summit. The programme has supported the creation of an ASEAN Regional Action Plan on WPS and its implementation at the national level including through WPS training for ASEAN Member States’ officials
• in 2023, the UK applied for membership of the ASEAN Regional Forum – an ASEAN-led security dialogue with 27 members from across the Indo-Pacific

4. Economic cooperation

4.1 Trade and investment

• total trade in goods and services between the UK and ASEAN Member States was £47.2 billion in the 4 quarters to end of Q4 2023, with UK exports to the region up by 5% in calendar year 2023
• UK exports to ASEAN Member States in the 4 quarters to the end of Q4 2023 amounted to £25.1 billion (49.1% goods, 50.9% services). UK imports totalled £22.1 billion (64.5% goods, 35.5% services) over the same period: a trade surplus of £3 billion, compared with a trade deficit of £576 million in the 4 quarters to the end of Q4 2022
• trade will be boosted by UK accession to Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) whose membership in ASEAN includes Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam
• to ensure trade continues to increase, ASEAN and the UK have agreed to work together to open up markets and promote and protect the broader multilateral trading system
• the UK is bringing experts from our public and private sectors to support ASEAN’s needs, increase cooperation in key areas of economic policy and deepen trade ties
• the UK’s Intellectual Property Office attachés in Southeast Asia support ASEAN governments, the ASEAN Secretariat, international development partners and industries to build a rules-based Intellectual Property system
• the British Standards Institute is supporting ASEAN with recommendations on how to adopt and implement international standards across ASEAN. International standards can create a common language for trading partners and increase access to the global market
• the UK Competition and Market Authority have regular policy exchanges with the ASEAN Experts Group on Competition to share best practices on how to strengthen ASEAN’s competition regulations in new areas such as digital markets and sustainability
• ASEAN-UK supply chains cooperation is centred on deepening trade links between the UK and ASEAN to improve economic resilience and grow ASEAN’s economy
• the UK has shared ideas with the ASEAN Secretariat on opportunities for future sectoral initiatives including developing a framework for industrial projects and strengthening the ASEAN MedTech sector
• in April 2024, the UK launched a new £25 million ASEAN-UK Economic Integration Programme, which will support ASEAN economic integration and drive stronger, more equitable growth through better regulations, improved systems for trade, and wider access to financial services

4.2 Financial services

• financial services accounts for almost 15% of UK services exports to ASEAN, at £1.8 billion. The UK is a leader on financial services innovation, regulation and talent. For example, the UK is home to a thriving fintech ecosystem, with over 10,000 fintech firms and a supportive regulatory environment
• in March 2023, the UK launched the report ‘Green Finance: Opportunities for Deeper UK-ASEAN Cooperation’. The Bank of England is running a number of virtual workshops on payment systems for ASEAN central banks, hosted by Bank Indonesia

4.3 Infrastructure

• infrastructure investment will be key to the region’s green growth. The Asian Development Bank estimates that the region needs to invest $210 billion a year to meet development and climate goals and sustain economic growth
• the UK has expertise across the lifecycle of infrastructure development and is working with ASEAN to share our expertise and bring in UK businesses to support ASEAN projects
• the UK’s ASEAN Sustainable Leadership in Infrastructure Programme brings together voices from academia, multilaterals and the private sector to equip ASEAN policy makers with the tools, models and experience needed to plan, procure and deliver sustainable and resilient infrastructure for all
• UK financial support through investment partnerships, including British International Investment and UK Export Finance, will support new, long-term finance for clean infrastructure and help the region’s green economic growth

4.4 Digital

• the ASEAN-UK Digital Innovation Partnership is our platform for digital cooperation with ASEAN, focussed on 3 pillars – digital economy business partnerships, digital trade policy and digital government
• the partnership continues to identify where digital solutions can best help realise mutual benefits for UK and Southeast Asian businesses, spanning areas such as e-payments, regulatory reform and trade facilitation
• from October 2023 to July 2024 the British Chamber of Commerce and LogChain delivered a series of pilots supporting multiple businesses across Southeast Asia and the UK to adopt electronic documents for the first time
• from 4 to 13 March, UK-Southeast Asia Tech Week was delivered in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore, with delegates joining from Malaysia and the Philippines. This brought together British and Southeast Asian tech companies, researchers and officials to build new commercial partnerships, exchange ideas and agree new areas of collaboration
• on 17 May, the UK partnered with the Asia-Pacific Financial Forum and ASEAN-Business Advisory Council to deliver a forum for regional discussions on digital trade, supply chain finance, financial infrastructure and sustainable growth for Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
• in June 2024, the UK supported over 100 businesses, researchers and government officials from Southeast Asia to visit the UK for London Tech Week. The programme included site visits to R&D centres, meetings with UK tech companies and investor and policy roundtables

4.5 Science, technology and innovation

• the UK is home to world class science and technology. We can undertake joint research with partner countries, support technology transfer and bring experts together from across the world to share ideas and expertise
• the UK’s Newton Fund invested over £114 million in research and innovation activities in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam between 2014 and 2022.  We are now building on these foundations through the UK’s new International Science Partnerships Fund
• the UK Space Agency has supported projects in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam through the 5-year £152 million ($190 million) International Partnership Programme, which uses the UK space sector’s research and innovation strengths to deliver a sustainable economic or societal benefit to emerging and developing economies.
• the UK has increased resource on science and technology including new dedicated staff in Indonesia and the Philippines covering the whole ASEAN region, as well the expansion of teams in Singapore and Malaysia
• in FY 2023 to 2024, the UK invested over £400,000 in projects with ASEAN member states on critical technologies, including a regional workshop and training on engineering biology hosted in Singapore
• in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UK supports the regional “Research & Innovation for Development in ASEAN” (RIDA) programme and a separate regional training programme on technology commercialisation (ASEAN i-Teams, focused on Indonesia and Vietnam). In June 2024, the UK launched a new initiative on “AI for Sustainable Development in ASEAN” (AISDA) at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology and Innovation
• in October 2023, we held the inaugural ASEAN-UK Dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation in the Philippines

5. Socio-cultural cooperation

5.1 Disaster management and humanitarian assistance

• the UK is a leading donor to the humanitarian response in Myanmar. Since February 2021, the UK has provided almost £150 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance, emergency healthcare and education support, and work to support civil society and local communities. This included £2 million of funding to support the humanitarian response after Cyclone Mocha hit Myanmar in 2023
• the UK is also a major contributor to the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund, IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) and the NGO Start Fund. Collectively, these multi-donor funds allocated over £31 million of assistance in the ASEAN region in 2022 alone
• the UK is finalising the design of a programme of cooperation between the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) and the UK’s Meteorological Office. This ‘Weather and Climate Services (WISER)’ Programme aims to deliver a transformational change in the quality, accessibility and use of weather and climate information services to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable people across Southeast Asia

5.2 Education

• in May 2023 we announced a new £30 million programme to promote women and girls’ education in ASEAN. The programme is partnering with governments and education providers to empower the most marginalised women and girls for a better future, boosting access to schooling for the 1.2 million girls threatened with permanent school drop-out in developing Southeast Asia states. Funding will go towards improving basic reading and maths skills as well as expanding access to digital and technical education, to boost employment opportunities in high skill-sectors
• there are over 38,000 Southeast Asian students in the UK and over 88,000 students pursuing British higher education qualifications at institutions located in the region
• the UK government provides funding for several scholarships in the region. The Chevening Scholarship programme fully funds approximately 200 students a year from ASEAN Member States to study for postgraduate degrees in the UK. Over the last 3 years, through the British Council, the UK government has also fully funded over 60 Women in STEM postgraduate studies and fellowships and part-funded over 100 Great Scholarships for postgraduate students
• the British Council continues to contribute to education reform and development across Southeast Asia and has engaged over 2 million people across ASEAN including 263,000 teachers of English
• the British Council has led delivery of an £8.5 million project to support harmonisation of higher education standards in the ASEAN region
• the Turing Scheme is the UK Government’s global programme for students to study and work abroad. For the academic year 2023 to 2024, there are over 3,200 planned learner visits to Southeast Asia through the Turing Scheme
• the Department for Education engages bilaterally ASEAN countries, including 2-way visits, knowledge sharing and implementation of a number of Memoranda of Understanding

5.3 Health

• the UK is investing in modern, 2-way health partnerships with ASEAN. By working in partnership to protect the health and prosperity of people in Southeast Asia, we also protect our health and economy at home
• the ASEAN-UK Health Security Partnership programme is a 5-year investment (up to £25 million), co-developed with ASEAN, to improve capacity for the prevention, detection, and response to health threats in the region, strengthening regional and global health security
• the International Health Regulations (IHR) Strengthening project, funded by DHSC and implemented by the UK Health Security Agency, expanded in 2023 to provide flexible technical support to ASEAN. The project aims to increase public health capacity for detection and response in line with the IHR (2005) benchmarks
• the UK-SEA Vaccine Manufacturing Research Hub is a £7.6 million investment by DHSC’s UK Vaccine Network Project. The hub supports a regional approach to enhancing vaccine manufacturing capability and includes twelve research and manufacturing partners in the UK and Southeast Asia, located in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia
• DHSC’s Fleming Fund is a £210 million programme bringing evidence and people together to encourage action against drug resistance. The fund supports low- and middle-income countries, including 4 countries in Southeast Asia, to generate, share and use data to improve antimicrobial use and encourage investment in antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
• in July 2021, the UK donated 3.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to seven ASEAN Member States, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam

5.4 Environment and climate change

• the UK will invest up to £40 million of international climate finance via the ASEAN-UK Green Transition Fund (GTF). The GTF aims to accelerate ASEAN’s transition to a clean, climate-resilient economy by reducing emissions in key sectors, supporting green economic growth and improving the lives of vulnerable people through targeted projects in ASEAN Member States plus Timor-Leste and with ASEAN institutions. The GTF operates across 5 pillars: climate policy and institutional capacity development; green finance; energy; sustainable cities and mobility; and nature-based solutions
• the UK Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) programme supports resilience in ASEAN through £2.5 million in funding for research and innovation projects to promote urban resilience
• countries in Southeast Asia continue to benefit from other UK climate finance, including through programmes such as:
  • up to £110 million for the ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility (ACGF) to support the development of sustainable and resilient infrastructure such as renewable energy, clean transportation or urban infrastructure in ASEAN
  • the Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) programme will spend up to £274 million to help countries across Asia strengthen their resilience to climate change
  • the UK’s £500 million Blue Planet Fund supports developing countries including in Southeast Asia to protect the marine environment and reduce poverty. As part of this Fund, the £154 million Climate and Ocean Adaptation and Sustainable Transition (COAST) programme will deliver in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam among others to improve the climate resilience and prosperity of vulnerable coastal communities and support the sustainable management of the marine environment
  • through its office in Singapore, British International Investment (BII) expects to provide up to £500 million of climate finance in the region over the coming years. BII’s first direct equity investment since its re-entry to the region, in Skye Renewables, will provide renewable energy solutions to corporate and industrial customers
  • the UK’s £100 million Biodiverse Landscape Fund aims to reduce poverty, protect and restore biodiversity and lessen the impact of climate change in environmentally critical landscapes across the globe, including in parts of the lower Mekong region (Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam)