British Prime Minister David Cameron's Look East Policy

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

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

Cameron's visit had two clear objectives: to boost trade relations between the UK and Southeast Asian countries and to cooperate in counter-terrorism. In both areas, Cameron saw the potential and benefits of cooperating with Southeast Asia, expanding partnerships outside of Europe.

Strengthening economic cooperation is a key priority.

According to British officials, Southeast Asia is the most dynamically developing economic region in the world. Comparing various criteria, ASEAN is currently a highly promising trade and investment partner. Forecasts indicate that over the next 20 years, 90% of global growth will come from outside Europe, particularly the Southeast Asian market. Over the past two decades, the GDP growth rate of Southeast Asian countries has been 2% higher than the world average. Meanwhile, in reality, Europe is the UK's largest trading partner. According to the latest reports, the amount of British goods sold to Hungary is greater than that to Indonesia, even though the Indonesian economy is 25 times larger than Hungary's and is the world's fourth most populous country. Similarly, the total trade turnover between the UK and Belgium is greater than that of all four countries visited this time: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam combined. British exports to Southeast Asia currently stand at only £10 billion per year, a very modest figure compared to the potential for cooperation between the UK and Southeast Asian countries. British leaders and businesses have recognized this reality and have immediately shifted their policy towards an Eastward-looking approach, seizing opportunities for cooperation with this economically promising region.

Writing in the Daily Mail before his trip, Cameron said: "This is a developing region and I want Britain to seize every opportunity it offers." In the context of Cameron's government aiming to double the value of UK exports to £1 trillion per year by 2020, seeking opportunities and strengthening partnerships is clearly a practical step.

Accompanying Prime Minister Cameron on his Southeast Asia tour were Trade Minister Francis Maude and over 30 leading British businesses across various sectors. At a meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on July 27th, the British Prime Minister affirmed that his government would increase loans to up to £1 billion (approximately US$1.6 billion) to help Indonesia invest in financial infrastructure projects through an export guarantee program. Immediate projects could include a £400 million wastewater treatment system in Jakarta and a £66 million geothermal power project. Prime Minister Cameron stated that the UK and Indonesia have promising opportunities for cooperation in areas such as insurance, infrastructure, internet services, and many others. On the evening of July 28th, during his visit to Singapore, British Prime Minister Cameron met with leading business leaders from both countries and witnessed the signing of two letters of intent between the UK Chamber of Commerce and Investment and the Monetary Authority of Singapore with representatives from several private insurance companies to support the development of regional insurance markets.

With Vietnam, the country where a British Prime Minister made his first official visit, the British leader also expressed goodwill towards economic cooperation. During his meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on the afternoon of July 29th, Mr. Cameron affirmed that economic cooperation is a crucial pillar in the Strategic Partnership and agreed to encourage and facilitate increased contact between businesses and investors of both countries, exploring markets and establishing cooperation, especially in areas where both sides have strengths and needs such as infrastructure, finance and banking, insurance, oil and gas, and green growth, through forms of cooperation such as direct investment, joint ventures, and public-private partnerships (PPP). Prime Minister Cameron announced a concessional credit of £500 million for infrastructure investment in Vietnam. This agreement also facilitates increased operations of British businesses 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 a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the EU; he believes that this agreement will open up opportunities for trade and investment cooperation between businesses of the two countries.

Mobilizing Southeast Asian cooperation against IS

During this visit, the British Prime Minister offered support to two Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia and Malaysia, in dealing with the growing influence of IS. A common issue among the UK, Indonesia, and Malaysia is the influx of young people into the Middle East to participate in jihad in countries like Iraq, Syria, and Libya. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, fears that up to 500 of its citizens have been recruited by IS to the Middle East, while around 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 attacks in the UK upon their return. Mr. Cameron stated that "ISIS is one of the greatest threats our world faces. I believe the UK can assist in counter-terrorism operations, addressing 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 their efforts to combat extremism.

Last week, Mr. Cameron also announced a series of new measures, emphasizing the need for internet companies to provide more support to the government in preventing the recruitment of extremists online. “I want us to do more to address extremism in prisons and online. We need a comprehensive assessment of what we do in prisons to prevent extremism. We also need more support from internet companies in identifying potential terrorists online,” Mr. Cameron said. In this area, Mr. Cameron understands the need for assistance and cooperation from many countries. On July 29th, he and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Cybersecurity between the Singapore Cyber ​​Security Agency and the UK Office for Cyber ​​Security and Information Insurance. Mr. Cameron's efforts during this trip are opening up new opportunities for cooperation and collaboration in combating Islamic extremism.

Phuong Thao