tech and innovation to create the jobs of the future, and we’ve both committed to solving global and regional economic challenges – from COVID to climate change,” Raab said.
It comes as no surprise that climate change was a key subject of discussion between the parties, particularly owing to the fact that both the UK and Singapore have a common commitment to developing carbon markets and the two countries are global financial hubs with strong green finance credentials. According to a statement issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, on behalf of the United Kingdom’s COP26 Presidency, the city-state has agreed to work with Norway, another key player in global climate efforts, to resolve issues on the carbon market ahead of the Glasgow summit.
Raab’s three-day visit to Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore this week was his fifth visit to South East Asia since becoming Foreign Secretary, which emphasised the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific for the United Kingdom, particularly as an independent nation following Brexit. During the visit, the Foreign Secretary announced £4.2 million in Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding in order to assist Southeast Asian nations in their response to the pandemic, their economic recovery and their transition to clean energy sources.
