The UK does very little business with countries in South East Asia, currently trading more with Belgium than with Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam combined.
Business Secretary Sajid Javid will be hoping to correct this imbalance when he speaks at the UK-ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) Dialogue conference being held on 13 October at Asia House in London.
ASEAN is attracting global attention, with Prime Minister David Cameron having paid a recent visit to South East Asia, where he was accompanied by Mr Javid. With a population of over 600 million, a growing middle class and a combined GDP of about US$2.4 trillion, ASEAN is already a dynamic and exciting market for the global business community and is set to be a long-term driver of global economic growth.
The UK-ASEAN Dialogue will explore the challenges and opportunities in the region, looking specifically at the political climate, infrastructure development and financial services.
Other confirmed speakers at the conference include Lord Mandelson, Chairman and Partner, Global Counsel LLP; Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia; and David Sayer, Chairman – High Growth Markets, KPMG.
The conference will be followed in the evening by Asia House‘s annual gala event – the Asian Business Leaders Awards – that is to be held at The Banqueting House, Whitehall.
