China Direct

Dates for diaries: Opportunities in ASEAN and the CPTPP: KPMG & UKABC Roundtable - 17th May

 

Opportunities in ASEAN and the CPTPP: KPMG & UKABC Roundtable - 17th May

The Department for Business and Trade and the University of Birmingham invite you to join the Chair and Senior Partners for KPMG Vietnam and Cambodia and the CEO of the UK-ASEAN Business Council at this roundtable-style event targeting companies and organisations active or seriously interested in Southeast Asia. Businesses across the Midlands should be thinking of Southeast Asia as part of their global strategy. This event is a rare opportunity to get a briefing from and to pick the brains of senior KPMG ASEAN management. Places are limited, so please register your interest via the link below and your place will be confirmed by Friday 12th May

For more information please click here.

 

UKABC - A Year In Review

Another incredible year! Thank you for helping us to continue to grow our business and government relationships with the fastest-growing region in the world.

 

As many of you will know UKABC has a new Chair. The Rt Hon the Lord Vaizey of Didcot accepted the role following the return to government of Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG. I want to place on record my personal thanks - and also on behalf of UKABC and our Board - for all that Baroness Neville-Rolfe did as Chair. Her dedication, commitment and passion for the role had taken UKABC to new heights. And I’d like to repeat mine and the Board’s huge thanks to Lord Vaizey for hitting the ground running (quite literally) when he led our delegation to the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) in Cambodia after only 2 weeks in the role!

 

Like many organisations, we have moved from the digital to the hybrid world. But I’m really pleased that UKABC has been able to deliver a mix of forums and roundtables virtually, in-person and hybrid. Our focus has been to share greater understanding of key market issues while highlighting the many opportunities to help UK businesses grow. Economic recovery, digital transformation and sustainable economic growth have been major pillars for the region. This will continue in 2023.

 

This year, for the first time in three years, we were able to take a business delegation to ABIS. This enabled UKABC to meet with ASEAN Economic Ministers, share the stage with DIT’s Minister for Trade Policy, The Rt Hon Greg Hands MP, host two roundtables on Investing in ASEAN and on Women’s Economic Empowerment and above all demonstrate the UK’s continued commitment to ASEAN.

 

Highlights from some of our events during the year are below. Please join us in 2023 for what I’m confident will be an even more exciting year of opportunity for us all.

 

Ian Gibbons

Chief Executive, UKABC

 

To review UKABC's Events and activities through 2022 please click here.

 

UK and Vietnam hold talks as trade increases by almost 11%

 

• UK and Vietnam hold their first Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) in three years
• UK and Vietnam look to strengthen trade partnership and reinforce net zero commitments.

• UK-Vietnam trade has grown by almost 11% in a year as the UK continues to deepen trade relationships in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Vietnam is a member of CPTPP – a free trade area with a GDP of £9 trillion which the UK is in the process of joining.

The UK and Vietnam held their first Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) in three years (25 May 2022) in a bid to increase cooperation across several sectors, including education, agriculture, technology, healthcare and renewable energy.

The Minister of State for Trade Policy, Penny Mordaunt, welcomed her Vietnamese counterpart, Mr Dang Hoang An, Vice Minister of Industry and Trade, to London for the talks.

Minister of State for Trade Policy Penny Mordaunt said:

“I am delighted to host Mr Dang Hoang An and his team in London. Vietnam is growing fast and is expected to become one of the world’s major economies by 2050. They are a vital CPTPP member, and an important trading partner for the UK that demonstrates our Indo-Pacific tilt in action.

Our talks today strengthen ties between our nations, including resolving market access barriers into each other’s economies and providing support to Vietnam so that they can reach their net-zero commitments.”

The UK will reinforce its commitment to helping Vietnam meet their net zero goals by sharing expertise in the renewable energy sector and hosting a Forum for UK and Vietnamese businesses. Minister Mordaunt will host a roundtable on renewable energy attended by experts, industry representatives and officials.

The UK and Vietnam share a longstanding trading relationship, with trade increasing between the two countries by almost 11% from 2020, when the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement was signed, and 2021. This agreement eliminates 99% of all tariffs and helps forge a deeper relationship with a country who shares our belief in free trade.

Vietnam is a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) which the UK remains on track to join by the end of this year, moving into the final phase of negotiations at the beginning of 2022.

CPTPP is a free trade area made up of 11 countries with a joint GDP of £9 trillion.

Collaborative UK Net Zero Strategies for Indonesia

 

Report: Connected Places Catapult (CPC) Net Zero Framework for Indonesian Provinces

CPC led this report/webinar on 29 March 2022 following its collaboration with the British Embassy in Indonesia and the UK-Indonesia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Sciences (UKICIS) network under the UK government-funded project in five provinces: DKI Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, and Bali. UKABC were pleased to moderate the webinar and deliver the audience and some of its speakers.  

The collaboration aims to produce a framework that could identify emissions reduction progress made to date and potential challenges in these regions, as well as opportunities for UK and Indonesian innovative solution providers to address them to help meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

The recommendations of the report lay include future collaboration between the UK and Indonesia to improve regional Net Zero performance while supporting the wider socio-economic goals of the country.

Download CPC-Pathways-and-Partnerships-to-Accelerated-Emissions-Reduction-in-Indonesian-Provinces-March-2022

 

Dates for Diaries: Webinar - UK Genomics Symposium with ASEAN Partners - 02.03.22

Event Details

Background

Genomic medicine has amazing power to continue improving health outcomes globally. It provides an incredible opportunity to achieve faster, accurate diagnosis and has driven a revolutionary shift toward precision and personalised medicine, meaning better, more targeted treatments for patients with diseases such as cancer, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Genomic medicine also has become increasingly relevant in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and areas such as genomic sequencing has been key to supporting wider global health security.

The UK's leadership in genomic medicine is detailed in the Government's new Genome UK implementation plan​ published in May 2021 setting out 27 commitments to deliver over the next year including 5 high-priority actions, such as identifying technologies that could be used to enable faster genomic testing for cancer to making the NHS the only healthcare system worldwide to routinely offer this life-changing test for earlier diagnosis and improving patients self-care.

The UK is open to collaboration overseas and has a range of organisations that look to establish partnerships overseas. Equally, across the ASEAN region, there is a range of innovative institutions, universities and private sector companies looking to use genomics to improve wider health outcomes. The ASEAN region and the UK have common challenges and opportunities to learn from each other's experiences.

Overview of the symposium

The UK Department for International Trade (DIT) in conjunction with Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Science and Innovation Network in Southeast Asia are collaborating to run a virtual genomics symposium in SE Asia. This is also in partnership with the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC).

Our desired impact is to generate discussion and deliver insights on the UK's genomics offer, landscape, and current work examples in the region, all in one showcase. This is a two-way exchange with the ASEAN region and we will have examples of SE Asian organisations presenting their local insights in the genomics space.

Key objectives

• To help the participants understand the UK genomics landscape
• To learn about current activities, demand, and issues in the ASEAN region
• To develop connections and facilitate future collaborations among relevant stakeholders in UK and ASEAN region

Organisations presenting include:

• Newcastle University
• Genomics England
• Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS)
• UK Health & Security Agency (UKHSA)
• Oxford Nanopore
• Genomics Institute Singapore (GIS)
• Philippine Genome Center
• AstraZeneca
• With more speakers to come...

Please register here.

To find out more about UK Genomics, please download this brochure World Leading Genomics and Personalised Medicine in the UK click here​.

Dates for Diaries: Green Building Solutions virtual trade mission to Malaysia, Thailand & Vietnam on 17 Nov

About this webinar

Calling UK providers of Green Building solutions. The British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (BMCC) in collaboration with the British High Commission, Malaysia will be organising a virtual trade mission focusing on Green Building solutions.

Join this webinar to find out more about the trade mission, along with opportunities in these 3 exciting markets (including Thailand and Vietnam) in Southeast Asia.

Further information

For more information, please contact [email protected]

To register your attendance for this event please click the link here.

For your diary: ADB Virtual Webinar Series - 08 & 15 Sept - Manila

Dear CBI Members and Partners,

Kindly find information and registration links relating to an Asian Development Bank (ADB) virtual business opportunities Seminar Series on 08 and 15 September 2021. The Series will be hosted by DIT Manila with support from UKABC and is open for all UK businesses to participate.

For more details please contact: [email protected]

Download ADB Virtual Business Opportunities Seminar Series 

CHINA DIRECT

ASEAN-UK Race to Zero Dialogues 24-25 May

ASEAN-UK Race to Zero Dialogues

2021 is a decisive year for climate action – and businesses play a critical role in reducing emissions and building our resilience to climate change. The ASEAN-UK Race to Zero Dialogues will bring together UK and ASEAN businesses in advance of COP26 to discuss the need for private sector climate action – and the business case for net zero emissions by 2050.

Join the ASEAN-UK Race to Zero Dialogues 24-25 May to:

• Understand why setting targets to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 is imperative, and the pivotal role that businesses have to play in a net-zero, low carbon future.
• Learn more about the Race to Zero, and how your company can join and contribute to combatting climate change, and the opportunities committing to net-zero emissions offer in terms of corporate image, competitive advantage and innovation.
• Hear stories of climate action progress from ASEAN and UK companies which have joined the Race to Zero.
• Discover more ways for your company to support COP26, through initiatives like RE100, EV100, the Powering Past Coal Alliance, and the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

To read more and register for a series of Race to Zero dialogues over 24-25 May please click here.