OPENING REMARKS BY AEM CHAIR
5th AEM – UNITED KINGDOM CONSULTATION
25 SEPTEMBER 2025
13:50 – 15:20
Ballroom, Level 3
Malaysia International Trade and
Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Kuala Lumpur
CHAIR’S OPENING REMARKS (5-6 minutes)
Your Excellency Liz Lloyd, the United Kingdom’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Digital Economy,
Esteemed ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) colleagues,
Indicative AEM of Timor-Leste,
His Excellency Dr. Kao Kim Hourn – Secretary-General of ASEAN,
The ASEAN Secretariat, distinguished delegates from ASEAN and the United Kingdom (UK), ladies and gentlemen.
● On behalf of the ASEAN Economic Ministers and Malaysia, I extend our warmest greetings to my Co-Chair, Your Excellency Liz Lloyd and the UK delegation to the 5th AEM-UK Consultation. This meeting is a valuable opportunity for us to review the progress of our joint economic initiatives and to explore new avenues for strengthening the partnership and collaboration between ASEAN and the UK.
● ASEAN greatly values the UK’s presence here today and appreciates the growing and dynamic partnership between our regions. Since the UK became ASEAN’s newest Dialogue Partner in 2021, becoming ASEAN’s first new Dialogue Partner in 25 years, our ties have only deepened and flourished on various fronts.
Growing Trade and Investment Ties
Your Excellency Co-Chair and AEM Colleagues,
● ASEAN and the UK share many economic priorities. Together, we are committed to boosting two-way trade and investment and accelerating growth of our economies. At the same time, the digital economy as well as sustainability and green growth have become central to our economic development agenda.
● We are pleased with the momentum of our economic relations thus far where merchandise trade between ASEAN and the UK has reached around USD 38.82 billion in 2024 (based on ASEAN’s provisional figures), making the UK ASEAN’s 11th largest trading partner last year. FDI inflow from the UK to ASEAN in the past year was also valued at approximately USD 18.75 billion catapulting the UK to become ASEAN’s 4th largest source of FDI in 2024, a jump from 7th place in 2023.
ASEAN-UK Economic Cooperation
Your Excellencies,
● The ASEAN–UK Joint Ministerial Declaration on Future Economic Cooperation agreed in 2021 has provided a valuable framework to strengthen our partnership – not only for structured cooperations, but also candid exchanges between our officials and Ministers. Annual Consultations like today’s allow us to align our strategies, assess progress and chart new initiatives to advance our cooperation.
● We value the UK’s active engagement in ASEAN forums, particularly the ASEAN-UK Economic Integration Programme or EIP, launched in 2024, which is helping us advance regulatory reform, trade facilitation (including digital trade) and financial inclusion. These initiatives reflect the tangible benefits of our Dialogue Partnership and our shared commitment to inclusive and sustainable growth. We look forward to the updates on the implementation progress of the EIP in this meeting.
Your Excellency Co-Chair and AEM Colleagues,
● As we mark nearly five (5) years of our Dialogue Partnership, this is an opportune moment to translate our high-level commitments into concrete actions on the ground. ASEAN looks forward to a productive session with the UK today – one that will lay the foundation for even closer economic ties and innovative initiatives in the months and years to come.
● I would also like to take the opportunity to welcome Her Excellency Helen Fazey who has just recently joined the ASEAN fold as the Ambassador of the UK to ASEAN in August 2025. ASEAN looks forward to working closely with you as much as we have in our previous engagement with Her Excellency Sarah Tiffin.
● I now pass the floor to Your Excellency Liz Lloyd for your opening remarks.
Thank you.
[After opening remarks by UK Co-Chair]
[Chair to invite AEM for official ASEAN family photo]
● Thank you, Your Excellency Liz.
I would now like to invite all Ministers and the Secretary-General of ASEAN for the official photo session.
--BERNAMA