The UK has been granted "dialogue partner" status by ASEAN. The partnership, which is the first ASEAN has agreed in 25 years, will lead to closer cooperation between the UK and the region on a range of issues such as trade, investment, climate change, the environment, science and technology, and education.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab joins a virtual ceremony with ASEAN Foreign Ministers
where they welcome the UK as an ASEAN ‘Dialogue Partner’, August 5, 2021

The closer ties with ASEAN will help create green jobs, reinforce security cooperation, promote tech and science partnerships, and safeguard key pillars of international law like the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, said British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

The new agreement will also help the UK to deepen economic links with ASEAN, which has a combined GDP of US$3.2 trillion, he affirmed. 

Total trade between the UK and ASEAN was £32.3 billion in the four quarters to the end of the first quarter of 2021 with huge potential to boost this trade, creating jobs at home.

Meanwhile, UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said that along with CPTPP accession and deals with countries like Singapore and Viet Nam, this will help unlock opportunities for British businesses in a high-growth region of more than 650 million people, allowing them to expand and create jobs across the UK.

ASEAN is an influential group of ten member countries in the Indo-Pacific. By becoming a Dialogue Partner, the UK will formalize its relations with the group - including through attending annual Foreign and Economic Ministers meetings along with other Ministerial engagements.

Dialogue Partner status puts the UK at the heart of the Indo-Pacific. The UK will work with ASEAN and its members on key shared challenges such as maritime security and transnational crime, boost the economies through trade, and strengthen our cooperation on issues such COVID-19 and climate change.

In addition to the UK, other Dialogue Partners of ASEAN include Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Russian Federation, the U.S., and the European Union, as well as the United Nations, ASEAN Plus Three and the East Asia Summit (EAS).