What Britain's new government means for ASEAN and Asia

What Britain's new government means for ASEAN and Asia Britain's new government has signalled ASEAN will be central to its Asia strategy, even as it balances closer engagement with China and India against its longstanding alliance with the United States. LONDON: The United Kingdom’s new government has wasted little time signalling where Asia will fit into its foreign policy priorities. Just days after Andy Burnham entered Downing Street as Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade, newly appointed Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband chose Southeast Asia for his first overseas trip. Within hours of being appointed on Jul 20, Miliband boarded a 16-hour flight to the Philippines for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting. The Manila visit marked five years of the ASEAN-UK Dialogue Partnership and offered a clear indication of how the new Labour government intends to engage the region. Addressing his ASEAN counterparts, Miliband reaffirmed Britain's long-term commitment to the regional bloc during what he described as “a moment when the world is ever more unstable and uncertain.” “I felt it was very, very important to come straight to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting as a sign of our solidarity with ASEAN countries and of the importance we attach to this partnership,” he said. “Whether on maritime security, energy security, economic resilience or emerging technologies, our future will increasingly be shaped by how we work together multilaterally.” During the meeting, the UK and ASEAN adopted a new five-year plan of action to deepen cooperation on trade, green energy, maritime security and regional resilience. EARLY TEST ON CHINA The trip also gave Britain's new foreign secretary an early opportunity to engage Beijing. One of his first bilateral meetings at the event was with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who urged Britain to provide Chinese companies operating in the UK with a “fair, equitable and non-discriminatory” business environment and to avoid imposing security implications on economic and trade issues. The talks came against the backdrop of a dispute over British Steel. Earlier this month, the administration under previous prime minister Keir Starmer nationalised British Steel after its Chinese owner Jingye Group moved to shut the company's blast furnaces. The move drew sharp criticism from Beijing but the UK government argued the intervention was necessary to safeguard domestic steel production. Jingye, which acquired British Steel in 2020, is seeking compensation for its investment losses. A UK government spokesperson said an independent evaluation would determine whether any compensation is payable. Analysts say the dispute is unlikely to fundamentally alter the new administration's broader approach to China. “I believe (Burnham) will follow a managed interdependent strategy, because he wants to re-industrialise the UK and he sees some opportunities to engage with China from this perspective,” said University College London economics lecturer Sangaralingam Ramesh. Further indications of Burnham's approach to Beijing may lie in his previous role as mayor of Manchester. According to a Chinese government readout of a meeting earlier this year with China's consul general, Burnham expressed hope for “more solid results” in cooperation on green development, electric buses, advanced manufacturing and life sciences. BALANCING MAJOR POWERS While China remains Britain's most complex relationship in Asia, India is increasingly viewed as one of its most important economic partners. The Burnham government is expected to continue efforts to deepen trade ties with New Delhi and build on the UK-India Free Trade Agreement, which entered into force in mid-July. The pact is intended to expand investment, services and technology cooperation between the two countries, alongside broad tariff reductions. But analysts say Britain's strategy in Asia cannot be separated from its relationship with its closest ally, the United States, and that any shift towards India or China will have to be weighed against Washington’s priorities. Tony Travers, associate dean at the London School of Economics' School of Public Policy, said the new prime minister's relationship with US President Donald Trump will be central to Britain's foreign policy. “Burnham will have to strike up a new relationship with Trump and other leading members of the US administration in a way that Starmer was seen as having done rather well at, despite his lack of success in domestic policy,” he said. While Burnham has been publicly critical of Trump in the past, early signs suggest the relationship has begun positively. Following their first phone call, Trump described it as a "very good conversation" and said he expected to meet Burnham "in the not too distant future". For the new British government, maintaining strong ties with Washington is expected to provide the diplomatic space needed to pursue its ambitions across Asia. Miliband's decision to make ASEAN his first overseas destination suggests Southeast Asia will feature prominently in those ambitions, even as London seeks to balance competing relationships with China, India and the US.