Final 12 months, simply three weeks into my new job, I visited Laos for the Asean Overseas Ministers’ Assembly. I did so with a transparent mission: to reconnect the UK with the Indo-Pacific. I mentioned then that I might be again. And I’ve saved that promise. I’ve simply accomplished my fifth go to to the area, protecting 10 nations – from India to Indonesia, Samoa to Singapore.
This issues to the UK as a result of this area is the place the twenty first century economic system is being solid. The Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations, for instance, is about to be the fastest-growing financial bloc this decade – no shock, given the area’s embrace of expertise.
The UK’s Labour authorities, elected final 12 months, is seizing the alternatives supplied by new expertise too. The UK is residence to Europe’s largest tech sector, and we’re investing sooner or later. Our new Industrial Technique targets high-growth sectors like digital expertise, whereas our AI Alternatives Motion Plan too seeks to strengthen our AI capabilities by supporting pioneering British AI corporations.