British Prime Minister David Cameron's Eastward Policy

(Baonghean) - British Prime Minister David Cameron is on a tour of four Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore. This is his first trip outside Europe since being re-elected as British Prime Minister last May. After winning the general election when the Conservative Party won 325 seats in the British House of Commons, David Cameron is currently in his most confident period in power. One of his top priorities at this time is implementing foreign policies, which is clearly demonstrated in this visit to Southeast Asia.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at the meeting on July 29.

Mr. Cameron's visit had two clear objectives: promoting trade relations between the UK and Southeast Asian countries and cooperating in the fight against terrorism. In both of these objectives, Mr. Cameron saw the potential and benefits of cooperating with Southeast Asia, expanding partnerships outside of Europe.

Strengthening economic cooperation is a key task.

According to British officials, Southeast Asia is the region with the most dynamic economic development in the world. Compared to many criteria, ASEAN is currently a potential trade and investment partner. According to forecasts, in the next 20 years, 90% of global growth will come from outside Europe, especially the Southeast Asian market. In nearly 2 decades, the GDP growth rate of Southeast Asian countries is 2% higher than the world average. Meanwhile, in fact, Europe is the largest trading partner of the UK. According to the latest reports, the amount of goods sold by the UK to Hungary is more than Indonesia while the Indonesian economy is 25 times larger than Hungary, and Indonesia is even the 4th most populous country in the world. Similarly, the total trade turnover of the UK with Belgium is larger than all 4 countries on this visit: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam combined. British exports to Southeast Asia are currently only 10 billion pounds per year, a very modest figure compared to the capacity and potential for cooperation between the UK and Southeast Asian countries. British leaders and businesses have seen this reality and immediately they have gradually shifted to an Eastward policy, seizing the opportunity to cooperate with this economically potential region.

Writing in the Daily Mail before his trip, Mr. Cameron said: "This is a growing region and I want Britain to seize every opportunity it offers." In the context that Mr. Cameron's government is aiming to double the value of British exports from now to 2020, to 1,000 billion pounds/year, it is clear that seeking opportunities and strengthening partnerships is a practical action.

Accompanying Mr. Cameron on his Southeast Asia tour were Trade Minister Francis Maude and over 30 leading British businesses in various fields. At a meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on July 27, the British Prime Minister confirmed that his government would increase loans up to 1 billion pounds (about 1.6 billion USD) to help Indonesia invest in financial infrastructure projects through the export guarantee program. Projects to be invested in the immediate future may include a wastewater treatment system in the capital Jakarta worth 400 million pounds and a geothermal power project worth 66 million pounds. Prime Minister Cameron said that the UK and Indonesia have promising cooperation opportunities in areas such as insurance, infrastructure, internet services ... and many other areas. On the evening of July 28, during his visit to Singapore, British Prime Minister Cameron met with top business leaders of the two countries, witnessing the signing of two letters of intent between the UK Chamber of Commerce and Investment and the Monetary Authority of Singapore with representatives of several private insurance companies to support the development of regional insurance markets.

With Vietnam, the country where a British Prime Minister has made an official visit for the first time, the British leader also has good intentions for economic cooperation. At the meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on the afternoon of July 29, Mr. Cameron also affirmed that economic cooperation is an important pillar in the Strategic Partnership and agreed to encourage and facilitate businesses and investors of the two countries to increase contact, learn about the market, and connect for cooperation, especially in areas where both sides have strengths and needs such as infrastructure, finance - banking, insurance, oil and gas, green growth through forms of cooperation such as direct investment, joint ventures and public-private partnerships (PPP). Prime Minister Cameron announced the provision of preferential credit to Vietnam worth 500 million pounds for infrastructure investment. This agreement also creates conditions for British businesses to increase their operations in Vietnam. Mr. Cameron also affirmed that the UK Government supports Vietnam in strengthening comprehensive relations with the European Union and supports the early signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the EU; he said that this Agreement will open up opportunities for trade and investment cooperation between businesses of the two countries.

Mobilizing Southeast Asia to cooperate against IS

During his visit, the British Prime Minister offered to support two Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia and Malaysia, in dealing with the growing influence of IS. The common point between the UK, Indonesia and Malaysia is that they are all facing the situation of young people flocking to the Middle East to join jihad in countries such as Iraq, Syria and Libya. Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, and this country is concerned that up to 500 of its citizens have been recruited by IS to the Middle East, while about 200 Malaysian citizens are also believed to have joined extremist Islamic organizations. As for the UK, hundreds of young citizens have joined IS in the Middle East, increasing the threat of causing attacks in the UK when returning home. Mr Cameron said that "IS is one of the biggest threats our world faces. I think the UK can help with counter-terrorism, dealing with the threat from foreign fighters and investigating potential terrorist plots." In addition, the UK will also learn from the experiences of these two countries in efforts to deal with extremist ideology.

Last week, Mr. Cameron also announced a series of new measures, including requiring internet companies to support the government more in preventing extremist recruitment on the internet. "I want us to do more to deal with extremist ideology in prisons and online. We need a comprehensive review of what we do in prisons to prevent extremism. We also need internet companies to do more to help identify potential terrorists on the internet," Mr. Cameron said. In this area, Mr. Cameron understands that he needs help and cooperation from many countries. On July 29, he and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Cyber ​​Security between the Cyber ​​Security Agency of Singapore and the UK Office of Cyber ​​Security and Information Assurance. Mr. Cameron's efforts during this trip are opening up new opportunities for cooperation and alliances to fight Islamic extremism.

Phuong Thao