GEOPOLITICS SPILLING INTO ECONOMIC SPHERE
He recognised how regional groupings are critical amid rising protectionism in recent years.
“We need to continue to make the case that we can rise and prosper together,” he noted.
“In some parts of the world, new barriers are going up. That’s why it makes it all the more important that countries of goodwill and shared concerns are able to work together to take down unnecessary trade barriers.”
This comes as geopolitics is increasingly spilling into the economic sphere.
Several UK ministers are in the Indo-Pacific region this week for various talks, to show the Labour government’s new approach on the world stage.
“The Indo-Pacific is basically the fastest growing region in the world,” said British Minister for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West on the sidelines of the Milken Institute’s Asia Summit in Singapore.
While there are many opportunities available for its businesses, Britain also has “a lot to offer” the region, including areas such as education, climate change and culture, she told CNA on Wednesday.
“We’re open for business,” she said, echoing Mr Alexander.
“We’re going to have a sense of predictability, so that people are very clear that they can invest in the UK and we can have investments here in the Indo-Pacific. Together, we can have that prosperity that we all wish to see.”
